God/heaven forbid
idiom
—used in speech to say that one hopes a bad thing will not happen
This is the number you should call if, God forbid, you should get into an accident.
Heaven forbid that something bad should happen.
Examples of God/heaven forbid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The form travels in one direction, from me to you, offering no path to analysis, critique, or, God forbid, argument.
—
Lauren Oyler, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024
Of course, trying can come off as phony when actors start speaking thoughtfully or — God forbid — get emotional.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
One commenter argued, however, that the film’s hot button topicality could backfire if — heaven forbid — real-world violence did occur.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024
This could happen to anyone in the most inappropriate circumstances, such as a heated argument, a private therapy session or, heaven forbid, a video call where a boss is laying off workers.
—David Phelan, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Why does a silly little hyphen make so many people uncomfortable, or unsettled, or even—God forbid—uncomfortable-unsettled?
—Rachel Gutman-Wei, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2024
Some, like Robbie, have fully embraced the Barbiecore look, while others — God forbid — have shown up to press stops wearing beige.
—Allie Jones, Washington Post, 16 July 2023
Though perhaps the biggest imitator of the weekend was none other than Sandoval himself, because God forbid Madix ever have a moment of peace.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 6 Nov. 2023
If Borjon were to struggle during an extended Morgan absence (God forbid), might freshman Raymond Pulido get fast-tracked at his likely future position?
—Michael Lev, The Arizona Republic, 2 Sep. 2023
Lauren Oyler, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024
Of course, trying can come off as phony when actors start speaking thoughtfully or — God forbid — get emotional.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
One commenter argued, however, that the film’s hot button topicality could backfire if — heaven forbid — real-world violence did occur.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024
This could happen to anyone in the most inappropriate circumstances, such as a heated argument, a private therapy session or, heaven forbid, a video call where a boss is laying off workers.
—David Phelan, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Why does a silly little hyphen make so many people uncomfortable, or unsettled, or even—God forbid—uncomfortable-unsettled?
—Rachel Gutman-Wei, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2024
Some, like Robbie, have fully embraced the Barbiecore look, while others — God forbid — have shown up to press stops wearing beige.
—Allie Jones, Washington Post, 16 July 2023
Though perhaps the biggest imitator of the weekend was none other than Sandoval himself, because God forbid Madix ever have a moment of peace.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 6 Nov. 2023
If Borjon were to struggle during an extended Morgan absence (God forbid), might freshman Raymond Pulido get fast-tracked at his likely future position?
—Michael Lev, The Arizona Republic, 2 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'God/heaven forbid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near God/heaven forbid
Cite this Entry
“God/heaven forbid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/God%2Fheaven%20forbid. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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