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

Plaintiffs challenging the prohibition on home distilling claim the 1868 law is an antiquated relic of Reconstruction-era politics. — Michael Kunzelman, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

Historically, politicians have kept a firewall between church and state to keep from crossing the First Amendment’s prohibition on a national religion or government restrictions that interfere with an individual’s expression of faith. — Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

These young people have defied prohibitions on protest, breached draconian security clampdowns, and endured detentions to relentlessly question the government’s authority. — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026

In 2011, former President Barack Obama signed a law removing wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains from the endangered species list, a change that removed federal prohibitions on killing or harassing them in that region. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 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