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

The guidance, delivered in recent weeks to a range of firms, stops short of an outright prohibition but signals strong official disapproval for H20 use in sensitive contexts. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025

The Supreme Court’s ruling also determined that the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments does not protect homeless people from laws criminalizing resting in public places. —Stephen Przybylinski, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2025

The prohibition is set to go into effect in September. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Tunnels under the bar were first used for smuggling opium and later, during prohibition, alcohol. —Bahar Anooshahr, AZCentral.com, 6 Aug. 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