View synonyms for Prohibition

prohibition

[proh-uh-bish-uhn]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the act of prohibiting.
the legal prohibiting of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic drinks for common consumption.
Often Prohibition the period (1920–33) when the Eighteenth Amendment was in force and alcoholic beverages could not legally be manufactured, transported, or sold in the United States.
a law or decree that forbids.
Synonyms: interdiction

Prohibition

/ ˌprəʊɪˈbɪʃən /

noun

the period (1920–33) when the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors was banned by constitutional amendment in the US

prohibition

/ ˌprəʊɪˈbɪʃən /

noun

the act of prohibiting or state of being prohibited
an order or decree that prohibits
(sometimes capital) (esp in the US) a policy of legally forbidding the manufacture, transportation, sale, or consumption of alcoholic beverages except for medicinal or scientific purposes
law an order of a superior court (in Britain the High Court) forbidding an inferior court to determine a matter outside its jurisdiction

Prohibition

The outlawing of alcoholic beverages nationwide from 1920 to 1933, under an amendment to the Constitution. The amendment, enforced by the Volstead Act, was repealed by another amendment to the Constitution in 1933.

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Prohibition is often mentioned in discussions of how much social change can be brought about through law, because alcohol was widely, though illegally, produced and sold during Prohibition; it was served privately in the White House under President Warren Harding, for example.

Many use the example of Prohibition to argue that more harm than good comes from the enactment of laws that are sure to be widely disobeyed.

Some states and localities (called “dry”) had outlawed the production and sale of alcohol before the Prohibition amendment was adopted. The repealing amendment allowed individual states and localities to remain “dry,” and some did for many years.

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Other Word Forms

Prohibitionist noun
prohibitionary adjective
antiprohibition adjective
nonprohibition noun
preprohibition noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of Prohibition¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin prohibitiōn-, stem of prohibitiō “prevention”; equivalent to prohibit + -ion

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"Not only does the strike appear to have violated the prohibition on the use of force, it also runs afoul of the right to life under international human rights law."

From BBC

But some residents interpreted this as a blanket prohibition on feeding dogs.

From BBC

Despite strict prohibition under both state and federal law, psilocybin is widely available and growing in popularity for both recreational and therapeutic purposes.

From Los Angeles Times

Another archived version of the page from the following month, on June 15, includes the new flag prohibition and is dated back to May 20.

From Los Angeles Times

Last week Betro was convicted of conspiracy to murder, possession of a firearm with intent and being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of ammunition.

From BBC

Related Words

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When To Use

When was Prohibition?

Prohibition refers to a period in American history when the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcoholic beverages was made illegal. The law, which was created by the Eighteenth Amendment (ratified in 1918) to the United States Constitution and subsequently reversed by the Twenty-first Amendment (ratified in 1933), proved largely unpopular.

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