Forbid Verb - Definition, Pictures, Pronunciation And Usage Notes

Oxford logo Toggle navigation Redeem Upgrade Help Sign in

• Dictionaries
  • Dictionaries home
  • English
  • American English
  • Academic
  • Collocations
  • German-English
• Grammar
  • Grammar home
  • Practical English Usage
  • Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
• Word Lists
  • Word Lists home
  • My Word Lists
  • Topics
  • Recent additions
• Resources
  • Resources home
  • Text Checker

Sign in Dictionaries

• Dictionaries home
• English
• American English
• Academic
• Collocations
• German-English

Grammar

• Grammar home
• Practical English Usage
• Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)

Word Lists

• Word Lists home
• My Word Lists
• Topics
• Recent additions

Resources

• Resources home
• Text Checker

Redeem Upgrade Help TOP English English American English Academic English Collocations Practical English Usage German-English English-German English American English Enter search text

Definition of forbid verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

forbid verb   /fəˈbɪd/  /fərˈbɪd/Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they forbid	/fəˈbɪd/  /fərˈbɪd/
he / she / it forbids	/fəˈbɪdz/  /fərˈbɪdz/
past simple forbade	/fəˈbæd/,  /fəˈbeɪd/  /fərˈbæd/,  /fərˈbeɪd/
past participle forbidden	/fəˈbɪdn/  /fərˈbɪdn/
-ing form forbidding	/fəˈbɪdɪŋ/  /fərˈbɪdɪŋ/

Idioms jump to other results

1.  to order somebody not to do something; to order that something must not be done
   • forbid somebody (from doing something) He forbade them from mentioning the subject again.
   • forbid something Her father forbade the marriage.
   • Smoking is strictly forbidden.
   • You cannot do that. I absolutely forbid it.
   • forbid somebody to do something You are all forbidden to leave.
   • forbid somebody something My doctor has forbidden me sugar.
   • forbid (somebody) doing something She knew her mother would forbid her going.
   Express Yourself Forbidding somebody to do somethingForbidding somebody to do somethingWhen speaking to somebody, we usually use indirect language to ask them not to do something:
   • • I'm sorry, eating isn't allowed in the conference hall.
   • • You're not allowed to eat in here.
   • • Would you mind not talking during the music?
   • • Could I ask you not to use your phone here, please?
   • • I'm afraid I have to ask you not to take pictures here.
   opposite allow, permitTopics Permission and obligationb2Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
   • strictly
   • absolutely
   • totally
   • …
   preposition
   • from
   phrases
   • be forbidden by law
   See full entry

   Want to learn more?

   Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.

   
2. forbid something | forbid somebody to do something (formal) to make it difficult or impossible to do something synonym prohibit
   • Lack of space forbids further treatment of the topic here.
Word OriginOld English forbēodan (from for- and bid2).

Idioms God/Heaven forbid (that…)

1. (informal) used to say that you hope that something will not happen
   • ‘Maybe you'll end up as a lawyer, like me.’ ‘God forbid!’
   Some people find this use of God offensive.

See forbid in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee forbid in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishCheck pronunciation: forbid

Nearby words

• forbearing adjective
• Forbes
• forbid verb
• forbidden adjective
• forbidding adjective

circumstance noun From the Word list OPAL spoken words Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day