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View synonyms for

forbid

[fer-bid, fawr-]

verb (used with object)

forbade, forbad, forbid, forbidden, forbid, forbidding. 
  1. to command (a person) not to do something, have something, etc., or not to enter some place.

    She forbade him entry to the house.

    Synonyms:
  2. to prohibit (something); make a rule or law against.

    to forbid the use of lipstick; to forbid smoking.

    Synonyms:
  3. to hinder or prevent; make impossible.

    Synonyms: , , ,
  4. to exclude; bar.

    Burlesque is forbidden in many cities.



forbid

/ əˈɪ /

verb

  1. to prohibit (a person) in a forceful or authoritative manner (from doing something or having something)

  2. to make impossible; hinder

  3. to shut out or exclude

  4. may it not happen

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • forbidder noun
  • ڴǰˈ noun
  • ڴǰˈ岹Գ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of forbid1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English forbeden, Old English ڴǰŧǻ岹. See for-, bid 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of forbid1

Old English ڴǰŧǻ岹 ; related to Old High German farbiotan , Gothic faurbiudan ; see for- , bid
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Idioms and Phrases

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Synonym Study

Forbid, inhibit, prohibit, taboo indicate a command to refrain from some action. Forbid, a common and familiar word, usually denotes a direct or personal command of this sort: I forbid you to go. It was useless to forbid children to play in the park. Inhibit implies a checking or hindering of impulses by the mind, sometimes involuntarily: to inhibit one's desires; His responsiveness was inhibited by extreme shyness. Prohibit, a formal or legal word, means usually to forbid by official edict, enactment, or the like: to prohibit the sale of liquor. Taboo, primarily associated with primitive superstition, means to prohibit by common disapproval and by social custom: to taboo a subject in polite conversation.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Federal laws forbid references to the patient’s mental health, substance use, developmental disability or HIV status.

From

In this episode, Amanda details how a logic-defying culture war about litter boxes turned into a real bill aimed at forbidding kids from playing pretend at school.

From

Monday’s no-comment order lets stand laws in Maryland and Rhode Island that forbid the sale or possession of “assault weapons” and large-capacity magazines.

From

"We have a rollercoaster of moods here. Many are worried documents might get signed that, God forbid, leave us under Russian occupation for even longer. Because we know what Russia will do here."

From

Like all the candidates, Ms Aguirre Bonilla has had to pay for her campaign out of her own pocket – candidates are banned from accepting public or private funding and forbidden from purchasing advertising spots.

From

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for better or for worseforbiddance