prohibition

noun

pro·​hi·​bi·​tion ˌprō-ə-ˈbi-shən 

also

ˌprō-hə- 

1

: the act of prohibiting by authority

2

: an order to restrain or stop

3

often capitalized : the forbidding by law of the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic liquors except for medicinal and sacramental purposes

Synonyms

• banning
• prohibiting

Examples of prohibition in a Sentence

the city's prohibition of smoking in restaurants

a prohibition against parking on the street

Recent Examples on the Web

Local media reports indicate that Bolsonaro faces additional restrictions beyond the ankle monitor, including prohibitions on social media use and contact with other individuals under Supreme Court investigation. —Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025

The 90-day prohibition is one of several closures and restrictions new this summer at Lake Tahoe. —Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 19 July 2025

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order suggesting the United States lacks election security and ordering, among other things, the enforcement of a prohibition on foreign nationals voting in federal elections. —Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 17 July 2025

So there is no prohibition on sending people to a third country if they can’t be sent back to their countries of origin. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 16 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prohibition

• writ of prohibition

Rhymes for prohibition

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition

Kids Definition

prohibition

noun

pro·​hi·​bi·​tion ˌprō-ə-ˈbish-ən 

1

: the act of prohibiting

2

: an order forbidding something

3

often capitalized : the forbidding by law of the sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages

Legal Definition

prohibition

noun

pro·​hi·​bi·​tion ˌprō-ə-ˈbi-shən 

1

a

: an extraordinary writ issued by a higher court commanding an inferior court to keep within its proper jurisdiction (as by ceasing a prosecution)

b

: an order to refrain or stop

2

a

: something (as a law) that prohibits a certain act or procedure

b

capitalized : the period from 1920 to 1933 in the U.S. when the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic liquors was prohibited by the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

prohibitive

prō-ˈhi-bə-tiv 

adjective

prohibitively adverb

prohibitory

-ˈhi-bə-ˌtōr-ē 

adjective