Definition of forbid
forbade
play play \fər-ˈbad, -ˈbād, fȯr-\ alsoforbad
play \fər-ˈbad, fȯr-\;forbidden
play \fər-ˈbi-dən, fȯr-\;forbidding
transitive verb
1 : to proscribe (see proscribe 2) from or as if from the position of one in authority : command against The law forbids stores to sell liquor to minors. Her mother forbids her to go.
2 : to hinder or prevent as if by an effectual command Space forbids further treatment here. Modesty forbids telling what my part was in the affair.
forbidder
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of forbid in a Sentence
I forbid you to go!
She was forbidden by her parents to marry him.
She was forbidden from marrying him.
The museum forbids flash photography.
The company's rules forbid dating among employees.
Recent Examples of forbid from the Web
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You are also forbidden to be on school district property or at any district events on or off campus during this leave.
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Irina Ratushinskaya, an indomitable Soviet dissident poet and novelist who, after barely surviving nearly four years in a brutal prison camp, delivered a singular woman’s perspective on the forbidding gulag, died on July 5 in Moscow.
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Some of his contemporaries sold old plumbing parts or fruit and vegetables from pushcarts set up in the middle of Maxwell Street, not far from where that sign now forbids it.
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His mother had forbidden him from riding motorcycles as a boy, so his main exposure was as a teen, attending the Friday night motorcycle races at Gardena’s Ascot Raceway.
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And with equal support from Republicans and Democrats, the House overwhelmingly passed a spending bill in 2015 that forbids the use of federal money to block state medical marijuana laws.
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As a result, teams are forbidden from making contact with coaches and players who are under contract with other teams.
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ROBERTSON: To get doctors to prescribe more generic drugs, they could be offered a carrot, like a bonus based on the number of generic drugs prescribed, or a stick, forbidding them to write more than a certain number of brand-name prescriptions.
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Backers of the move to forbid the sale of smartphones to children younger than 13 would now need about 300,000 voter signatures for the proposal to make the 2018 ballot.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forbid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of forbid
Middle English forbidden, from Old English forbēodan, from for- + bēodan to bid — more at bid
Synonym Discussion of forbid
forbid
Definition of forbid
archaic
: accursed he shall live a man forbid — William Shakespeare
Origin and Etymology of forbid
see 1forbid
FORBID Defined for English Language Learners
forbid
playDefinition of forbid for English Language Learners
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: to order (someone) not to do something
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: to say that (something) is not allowed
FORBID Defined for Kids
forbid
playDefinition of forbid for Students
forbade
\-ˈbad\;forbidden
\-ˈbi-dən\;forbidding
: to order not to do something I forbid you to go!
Learn More about forbid
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See words that rhyme with forbid Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for forbid Spanish Central: Translation of forbid Nglish: Translation of forbid for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of forbid for Arabic speakers
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