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Forbid
6 dictionary results for: Forbid
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
for·bid 
[fer-bid, fawr-] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[fer-bid, fawr-] Pronunciation Key –verb (used with object), -bade or -bad or -bid, -bid·den or -bid, -bid·ding.
| 1. | to command (a person) not to do something, have something, etc., or not to enter some place: to forbid him entry to the house. |
| 2. | to prohibit (something); make a rule or law against: to forbid the use of lipstick; to forbid smoking. |
| 3. | to hinder or prevent; make impossible. |
| 4. | to exclude; bar: Burlesque is forbidden in many cities. |
—Related forms
for·bid·der, noun
—Synonyms 1, 2. interdict. Forbid, inhibit, prohibit, taboo indicate a command to refrain from some action. Forbid, a common and familiar word, usually denotes a direct or personal command of this sort: I forbid you to go. It was useless to forbid children to play in the park. Inhibit implies a checking or hindering of impulses by the mind, sometimes involuntarily: to inhibit one's desires; His responsiveness was inhibited by extreme shyness. Prohibit, a formal or legal word, means usually to forbid by official edict, enactment, or the like: to prohibit the sale of liquor. Taboo, primarily associated with primitive superstition, means to prohibit by common disapproval and by social custom: to taboo a subject in polite conversation. 3. preclude, stop, obviate, deter.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| for·bid
(fər-bĭd', fôr-) Pronunciation Key
tr.v. for·bade (-bād', -bād') or for·bad (-bād'), for·bid·den (-bĭd'n) or for·bid, for·bid·ding, for·bids
[Middle English forbidden, forbeden, from Old English forbēodan; see bheudh- in Indo-European roots.] for·bid'dance n., for·bid'der n. Synonyms: These verbs mean to refuse to allow: laws that forbid speeding; banned smoking; was enjoined from broadcasting; interdict trafficking in drugs; rules that prohibit loitering; proscribed the importation of certain fruits. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
forbid
forbid
O.E. forbeodan, from for- "against" + beodan "to command" (see bid). Common Gmc. compound (cf. Du. verbieden, O.H.G. farbiotan, Ger. verbieten, Goth. faurbiudan). Forbidding "uninviting" first recorded 1712.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| forbid | |
verb | |
| 1. | command against; "I forbid you to call me late at night"; "Mother vetoed the trip to the chocolate store"; "Dad nixed our plans" [ant: allow] |
| 2. | keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project" [syn: prevent] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Forbid
For*bade"\, imp. of Forbid.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Forbid
For*bid"\, v. t. [imp. Forbade; p. p. Forbidden(Forbid, [Obs.]); p. pr. & vb. n. Forbidding.] [OE. forbeden, AS. forbe['o]dan; pref. for- + be['o]dan to bid; akin to D. verbieden, G. verbieten, Icel., fyrirbj[=o][eth]a, forbo[eth]a, Sw. f["o]rbjuda, Dan. forbyde. See Bid, v. t.]1. To command against, or contrary to; to prohibit; to interdict. More than I have said . . . The leisure and enforcement of the time Forbids to dwell upon. --Shak. 2. To deny, exclude from, or warn off, by express command; to command not to enter. Have I not forbid her my house? --Shak. 3. To oppose, hinder, or prevent, as if by an effectual command; as, an impassable river forbids the approach of the army. A blaze of glory that forbids the sight. --Dryden. 4. To accurse; to blast. [Obs.] He shall live a man forbid. --Shak. 5. To defy; to challenge. [Obs.] --L. Andrews. Syn: To prohibit; interdict; hinder; preclude; withold; restrain; prevent. See Prohibit.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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