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

Synonyms of prohibition

• 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

Trump in his current term has used proclamations to lift commercial fishing prohibitions within expansive marine monuments in areas of the Pacific Ocean and in the Atlantic Ocean off the New England coast. — ABC News, 13 July 2026

As part of its Rethinking Legal Education in the AI Era, the law school plans to pilot a prohibition against the use of electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, and phones in its core first-year courses. — Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Rescues during holidays have declined in recent years, owing to the prohibition of alcohol on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July, along with the banning of diving along the Clay Banks, Nunez said. — Reeti Malhotra july 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026

There is no prohibition in the constitution that prohibits Congress from expanding the number of Justices on the court. — Elijah Manley, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th 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