prohibit
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
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
-
was prohibitingprogressive
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were prohibitingprogressive
-
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:
Under new rules announced last week, Airbnb will generally prohibit hosts from requiring guests to wash and put away dishes, strip beds or haul garbage off-site for reservations booked on or after November 20.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
While the U.S. restricts companies from importing goods such as cotton and textiles from the region, in general it doesn’t prohibit American firms from selling there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Employees at Google have told the BBC that staff are scared to speak out about AI safety and its uses in warfare because their employment contracts prohibit them from publicly criticising the company.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
ClearView Energy’s Huang said there’s been a clear shift by states that once encouraged data-center development toward “thinking about how to constrain” such development or even prohibit it.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
She also pointed out that the federal rights established by the Fourteenth Amendment took precedence over states’ rights, arguing that the states could not prohibit women from voting.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
It also broadly forbids these companies from misleading or deceiving customers and prohibits confidentiality agreements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
U.S. law generally prohibits government officials from working on matters where they retain a financial interest, said Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel for the government watchdog organization CREW.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Another federal law prohibits voter intimidation, with up to a yearlong prison sentence for anybody who intimidates, threatens, or coerces somebody else with the purpose of interfering with another person’s right to vote.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
The law prohibits religious conversions brought about by force, fraud, coercion or inducement.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Executive Order prohibits U.S. persons from performing any contract in support of a commercial project in Yugoslavia, as well as from exporting services to Yugoslavia.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Google “does not have sufficient information to evaluate the legal basis for issuance of the subpoena,” the company’s legal investigations support team wrote, “including whether the subpoena relates to the importation of prohibited merchandise.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Police charged 24-year-old Nouman Essghir with entering or approaching a "prohibited place" for a purpose "prejudicial" to the interests of the United Kingdom.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
They were later arrested on suspicion of namely entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK under Section 4 of the National Security Act.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
In November 2025, regulators issued violations to contractors there for using equipment during a pipeline pressure test that is prohibited within 1,000 feet of a school, of which there are three in the immediate vicinity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
“Almost nobody. I’m one of the very few. It’s prohibited, you see. But as I make the laws here, I can also break them. With impunity, Mr. Marx,” he added, turning to Bernard.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
New Jersey’s law, also passed this year, bars landlords from prohibiting balcony solar while requiring tenants to provide notice and adhere to “reasonable restrictions” on panel size and placement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
He told AFP he is prohibiting poll workers from placing election-related bets.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
The prosecutor must show that some kind of human intent arises in laws prohibiting fraud, money-laundering, market manipulation, price-fixing, tax crimes, bribery and certain environmental crimes, to give a few examples.
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
Anthropic’s October Usage Policy Update included a section prohibiting “sustained and needless abusive or cruel behavior toward our models.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
“I believe,” concluded Scott, “if Congress should at any time be of the opinion that a state of slavery was a quality inadmissible in America, they would not be barred...of prohibiting this baneful quality.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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