as in prohibits
to order not to do or use or to be done or used
smoking is forbidden throughout the building we forbid you to see him
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Recent Examples of forbids
New York, thanks to our state Constitution, forbids mid-decade redistricting, so a phony baloney lawsuit was ginned up to claim that the Staten Island/Brooklyn seat held by Malliotakis unfairly treats Black and Hispanic voters.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
The settlement forbids the family from disclosing details of the agreement.
—Amber Gaudet
updated February 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
In Florida, voters in 2010 passed a constitutional amendment called Fair Districts that forbids lawmakers from drawing district boundaries for political purposes.
—Michael Van Sickler, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
These instances violate a county law that forbids the use of county resources for campaigning.
—Carlton Gillespie, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Newsom signed another bill that forbids educators from being required to tell parents that their children have changed their names and pronouns.
—Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
During an October 2025 interview with The Economist, for instance, Bannon suggested a plan exists for his former boss to defy the 22nd Amendment − which forbids a president from seeking a third term − after months of Trump making similar suggestions.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College London, highlighted the church’s continuing divergence from the Catholic Church, which forbids women from being ordained as priests, much less as serving as the religion’s global spiritual leader.
—Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Zada believes that the power to keep AI outputs copyright clean lies in the hands of the prompter, meaning Secret Level forbids IP being cited in its text inputs.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
The settlement forbids the family from disclosing details of the agreement.
—Amber Gaudet
updated February 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
In Florida, voters in 2010 passed a constitutional amendment called Fair Districts that forbids lawmakers from drawing district boundaries for political purposes.
—Michael Van Sickler, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
These instances violate a county law that forbids the use of county resources for campaigning.
—Carlton Gillespie, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Newsom signed another bill that forbids educators from being required to tell parents that their children have changed their names and pronouns.
—Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
During an October 2025 interview with The Economist, for instance, Bannon suggested a plan exists for his former boss to defy the 22nd Amendment − which forbids a president from seeking a third term − after months of Trump making similar suggestions.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College London, highlighted the church’s continuing divergence from the Catholic Church, which forbids women from being ordained as priests, much less as serving as the religion’s global spiritual leader.
—Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Zada believes that the power to keep AI outputs copyright clean lies in the hands of the prompter, meaning Secret Level forbids IP being cited in its text inputs.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forbids
Verb
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The bill prohibits cities and counties from decreasing funding for public safety, which representatives from the local governments say isn’t possible.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
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The ban prohibits any outdoor burning, including campfires and yard waste.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Wednesday, City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos announced that Marquez and South East have been removed from the Open Division playoffs because of ineligible players that violated CIF bylaw 600, which bans players from participating in outside leagues during the season of their sport.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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The executive order bans non-essential motor vehicle travel in Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable and Dukes counties, which includes Martha's Vineyard.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forbids.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forbids. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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