prohibit
Americanverb (used with object)
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prohibits,
present (3rd person singular)
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prohibited,
past participle, past
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prohibiting
present participle
verb
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to forbid by law or other authority
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to hinder or prevent
Usage
What’s the difference between prohibit and inhibit? Prohibit most commonly means to forbid or disallow, but it can also mean what inhibit usually means—to prevent or hinder. Inhibit can also mean to forbid, but this use is much less common. Prohibit is most commonly used in the context of rules, especially official ones like laws. The speed limit prohibits you from going above a certain speed. Parents might prohibit their kids from eating candy before dinner, but the word forbid is more commonly used in cases like this. Inhibit, on the other hand, is usually used in the context of things that prevent or hinder what someone is trying to do. Speed bumps are designed to inhibit speeding. A leg injury can inhibit your ability to walk. The meaning of prohibit and inhibit most often overlaps in cases when something is inhibited to the point of almost not being able to happen at all, as in This cast is designed to prohibit movement (prohibit could be replaced with inhibit in this sentence without much or any change in meaning). The adjective form inhibited is often used to indicate that someone or something is held back from full potential. When it’s applied to a person, it usually involves a mental, emotional, or psychological block, as in I feel less inhibited around my new group of friends—they accept me for who I am. The adjective prohibited describes something that’s forbidden, as in The sign lists all of the prohibited activities. Here’s an example of prohibit and inhibit used correctly in the same sentence. Example: To inhibit the acceleration of climate change, we must prohibit any increase in fossil fuel emissions. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between inhibit and prohibit.
Synonym Usage
See forbid.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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prohibitsimple
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prohibitssimple
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have prohibitedperfect
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has prohibitedperfect
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am prohibitingprogressive
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are prohibitingprogressive
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is prohibitingprogressive
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have been prohibitingperfect progressive
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has been prohibitingperfect progressive
Past
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prohibitedsimple
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had prohibitedperfect
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was prohibitingprogressive
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were prohibitingprogressive
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had been prohibitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prohibit
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prohibitus, past participle of prohibēre “to hold before, hold back, hinder, forbid,” equivalent to pro- pro- 1 + -hibēre, combining form of habēre “to have, hold”; see habit 1
Explanation
If a sign says "Swimming Prohibited," don't go for a dip. It's not allowed. To prohibit is to forbid, or to disallow something. In school, you are prohibited from leaving the premises before the end of the school day. The school administration also prohibits smoking and chewing gum. In 1920, it became illegal to sell alcohol in the United States. This time period when alcohol was prohibited is known as the era of Prohibition. Famously Prohibition did not work. When you prohibit something, you often make it seem more appealing.
Vocabulary lists containing prohibit
The Bill of Rights
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List 14
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The First Amendment of the US Constitution
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
TikTok said its policies prohibit content that could cause significant physical harm, including dangerous driving.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
They also prohibit wooden sheds in the zone and wooden fences where attached to the house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
China's top economic planning body decreed in a statement in April that it would "prohibit the foreign investment" in the Manus deal and "requires the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction".
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Back in 2021, activists had successfully lobbied the state of New Jersey to prohibit municipal and county governments as well as private facilities from entering into new contracts with ICE to house immigration detainees.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Only ten states prohibit all employers and licensing agencies from considering arrests, and three states prohibit some employers and occupational and licensing agencies from doing so.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
It prohibits cuts to women’s and Olympic programs, creates incentives to invest in those sports and requires comparable facilities and services at men’s and women’s championship events.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Today Title IX, the 1972 civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs receiving federal money, has transformed women’s and girls’ athletics.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
According to an attorney for the officer, Daniel Flores, prosecutors will allege he violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act, which prohibits recording others without their consent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
In Arizona, for example, “state law prohibits our department from a role overseeing private schools,” a spokesperson for the state Department of Education told ProPublica.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
I’m just hoping there’s an amendment somewhere in the Constitution that prohibits the FBI from stealing my collection of hardcover fantasy novels.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The vessels are prohibited to approach the exclusion zone of three kilometres radius from the volcano, local port authorities said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
Bakewell Jr. was identified as a prohibited contributor in a contract Bass signed with Brotherhood Crusade in 2023 for about $141,000.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
"We are continually looking for ways to ensure fans in the stands know what is permitted and what is prohibited."
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
But China's top economic planning body said in April that it prohibited the deal, and required "the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Before that, the British government’s Proclamation of 1763 prohibited settlement there.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The local suppression of abolitionist mail persisted throughout the antebellum era during the administrations of Jackson’s eight successors, none of whom enforced the federal statute prohibiting detention of the mail.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Judge William Sullivan, who is overseeing the Clancy trial, has an order specifically prohibiting the photographing or filming of jurors.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The group said the investigation should examine whether Carr and Trusty broke rules on accepting gifts or broke criminal laws prohibiting federal officials from accepting illegal gratuities.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
MLB added a regulation in 2023 expliciting prohibiting that kind of behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
In 1784 Jefferson also proposed a bill in the federal Congress prohibiting slavery in all the western territories; it failed to pass by a single vote.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
