forbid

forbid — verb

1. to order someone, using your authority, not to do a particular thing, or to make

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to order someone, using your authority, not to do a particular thing, or to make a rule that stops an activity from taking place

Example

School rules forbid students from using phones during class.

forbid + object + from + -ing

After her knee surgery, the doctor forbade Rania to run for six months.

forbid + object + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • forbid + smoking / parking / gambling / alcohol / weapons
  • strictly / expressly / explicitly forbid
  • forbid + entry / access / use
Synonyms
  • prohibit

    more formal and official; typically used for written laws and regulations

  • ban

    stronger and more direct; often used for specific items or activities, especially by governments

  • bar

    usually means preventing a person from doing or entering somewhere, often as a penalty

  • outlaw

    formal and strong; making something illegal through legislation

Antonyms
  • allow

    the most general opposite; letting someone do something

  • permit

    more formal than 'allow'; often involves official permission

Grammar Patterns

forbid + noun phrase

forbid + object + to-infinitive

forbid + object + from + -ing

Usage Note

The past tense is 'forbade' (pronounced /fərˈbæd/ or /fərˈbeɪd/) and the past participle is 'forbidden.' Both 'forbid someone to do something' and 'forbid someone from doing something' are widely used, though 'from + -ing' is more common in American English.

Common Mistakes

The teacher forbidded us to leave early.
The teacher forbade us to leave early.
The past tense of 'forbid' is 'forbade,' not 'forbidded.'
The rules forbid to smoke in the building.
The rules forbid smoking in the building.' or 'The rules forbid people to smoke in the building.
'Forbid' cannot be followed directly by a to-infinitive without a person as an object.

2. to make it impossible for a situation, event, or process to continue or take pla

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to make it impossible for a situation, event, or process to continue or take place

Example

The steep climb and heavy rain forbade any further progress that afternoon.

inanimate subject + forbid + abstract noun

The company's tight budget forbade any new hiring until the next financial year.

Common collocations
  • forbid + any + progress / discussion / movement / retreat / return
  • circumstances / conditions / time forbid
Synonyms
  • prevent

    more common in everyday use; stop something from happening

  • hinder

    slows or creates obstacles, but does not always stop completely

  • preclude

    formal; make something impossible in advance

Antonyms
  • enable

    make something possible

  • allow

    let something happen; not prevent

Grammar Patterns

forbid + noun phrase (abstract)

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, this sense takes an abstract situation or event as its subject or object (progress, discussion, view, movement). It is found mainly in formal or literary written English rather than everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

The rain forbade us to go out.
The rain made it impossible for us to go out.' or 'The rain prevented us from going out.
In everyday speech, 'prevent' or 'make impossible' sound more natural for this sense; 'forbid' is quite formal.
Idioms

God forbid

idiom

used to express a strong hope that something unpleasant will not happen or to show that you are strongly against the idea of something

God forbid that you should ever have to face such a difficult choice alone.

What would happen to the children if, God forbid, both parents lost their jobs at the same time?

God/Heaven forbid (that…)

idiom

Used to express a strong wish that something unpleasant does not happen.

God forbid that we should ever have another war.

Heaven forbid that Maya should miss her flight.

forbid — adjective

Word family

  • forbidden
    adjectiveB1
  • forbidding
    adjectiveB2
  • forbiddingly
    adverbC1
  • forbade
    verb (past tense)B1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Forbid, prohibit, ban, bar, and outlaw all involve stopping someone from doing something, but they differ in tone and scope. Forbid is the most general and works in both personal contexts ('Her parents forbade her to go') and official rules ('The law forbids parking here'). Prohibit is more formal and almost always refers to written laws or regulations ('The policy prohibits discrimination'). Ban is direct and commonly used for specific items or activities ('The school banned sugary drinks from vending machines'). Bar is often about preventing a person from participating, usually as a penalty ('He was barred from competing for two years'). Outlaw is the strongest, making an activity illegal by legislation ('They outlawed gambling throughout the state'). In everyday conversation, forbid and ban are the most natural choices; prohibit and outlaw belong to more formal registers.

forbid ↗prohibit ↗ban ↗bar ↗outlaw ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • law forbids
  • rule forbids
  • regulation forbids
  • policy forbids
  • order forbids

Adverbs

  • strictly forbid
  • expressly forbid
  • explicitly forbid
  • absolutely forbid
  • specifically forbid

Phrases

  • by law
  • by order of
  • under penalty of

Prepositions

  • forbid from (doing something)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Forbid comes from Old English 'forbēodan', a combination of the prefix 'for-' (meaning 'against') and 'bēodan' (meaning 'to command, to bid'). So its original sense was 'to command against.' It is related to the German verb 'verbieten' and the Dutch 'verbieden,' which carry the same meaning. The past tense 'forbade' preserves the vowel shift pattern of Old English strong verbs.