forbid
[ fer-bid, fawr- ]
/ fərˈbɪd, fɔr- /
verb (used with object), for·bade or for·bad or for·bid, for·bid·den or for·bid, for·bid·ding.
to command (a person) not to do something, have something, etc., or not to enter some place: to forbid him entry to the house.
to prohibit (something); make a rule or law against: to forbid the use of lipstick; to forbid smoking.
to hinder or prevent; make impossible.
to exclude; bar: Burlesque is forbidden in many cities.
SYNONYMS FOR forbid
1, 2
interdict.
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.
3 preclude, stop, obviate, deter.
OTHER WORDS FROM forbid
for·bid·der, nounWords nearby forbid
Example sentences from the Web for forbid
British Dictionary definitions for forbid
forbid
/ (fəˈbɪd) /
verb -bids, -bidding, -bade, -bad, -bidden or -bid (tr)
to prohibit (a person) in a forceful or authoritative manner (from doing something or having something)
to make impossible; hinder
to shut out or exclude
God forbid!
may it not happen
Derived forms of forbid
forbiddance, noun forbidder, nounWord Origin for forbid
Old English
forbēodan; related to Old High German
farbiotan, Gothic
faurbiudan; see
for-,
bid
Idioms and Phrases with forbid
forbid
see god forbid.