forbade
fər-ˈbad 
-ˈbād
-ˈbād
fȯr-
also forbad
fər-ˈbad
fȯr-
; forbidden
fər-ˈbi-dᵊn
fȯr-
; forbidding
1
: to proscribe (see proscribe sense 2) from or as if from the position of one in authority : command against
The law forbids stores to sell liquor to minors.
Her mother forbids her to go.
2
: to hinder or prevent as if by an effectual command
Space forbids further treatment here.
Modesty forbids telling what my part was in the affair.
forbidder
noun
Examples of forbid in a Sentence
Verb
I forbid you to go!
She was forbidden by her parents to marry him.
She was forbidden from marrying him.
The museum forbids flash photography.
The company's rules forbid dating among employees.
Recent Examples on the Web
Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2025
So the government went to the big bosses in Beijing, who decreed that, in fact, the Hong Kong government could forbid the lawyer.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
There has been some discussion in the Texas Legislature to ban masks, especially after concerns about violent incidents linked to protests related to the Israel-Hamas war, but there are no laws in Texas forbidding them at protests.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Mar. 2025
The rules include abstaining from substances that are already forbidden by the LDS Church, practicing chastity, forgoing the use of profanity and following a dress code that prohibits men from wearing beards or goatees and requires skirts to be no shorter than knee-length.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forbid
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Verb
Specifically cited in the report was that training exercises at off-site properties must avoid any property damage and live fire training in buildings contracted by the county is forbidden.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2025
So the government went to the big bosses in Beijing, who decreed that, in fact, the Hong Kong government could forbid the lawyer.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
There has been some discussion in the Texas Legislature to ban masks, especially after concerns about violent incidents linked to protests related to the Israel-Hamas war, but there are no laws in Texas forbidding them at protests.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Mar. 2025
The rules include abstaining from substances that are already forbidden by the LDS Church, practicing chastity, forgoing the use of profanity and following a dress code that prohibits men from wearing beards or goatees and requires skirts to be no shorter than knee-length.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forbid
Cite this Entry
“Forbid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forbid. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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