forbid
forbid
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "forbid" is /fərˈbɪd/.
First Syllable: /fər/
/f/ - voiceless labiodental fricative
/ər/ - r-colored vowel (schwa + r)
Second Syllable: /bɪd/
/b/ - voiced bilabial stop
/ɪ/ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel
/d/ - voiced alveolar stop
Word Form Variations
The word "forbid" primarily functions as a verb. Its variations include:
Present Simple (third person singular): forbids
Present Participle: forbidding
Past Simple: forbade / forbad
Past Participle: forbidden
There is also a less common noun form, "forbiddance."
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
Definition 1: To command someone not to do something; to prohibit an action or activity by authority.
Synonyms: prohibit, ban, bar, disallow, interdict, proscribe
Antonyms: permit, allow, authorize, sanction, consent to, let
Definition 2: To make something impossible or rule it out as an option; to prevent an outcome.
Synonyms: preclude, prevent, hinder, obviate, forestall, impede
Antonyms: facilitate, enable, allow, promote, encourage
Noun (forbiddance)
Definition 1: The act of prohibiting or the state of being prohibited.
Synonyms: prohibition, ban, interdiction, proscription, embargo
Antonyms: permission, allowance, authorization, sanction, consent
Examples of Use
Books: "The ancient laws of the realm explicitly forbid the taking of a king's life." (From a historical fiction novel, The Serpent and the Crown, June 2024)
Newspapers: "City officials announced new regulations today that forbid single-use plastic bags in all retail establishments." (The Daily Herald, April 2025)
Online Publications: "Many online platforms forbid the sharing of hate speech, leading to content moderation challenges." (TechCrunch, January 2025)
Entertainment Mediums (Film): In the film Interstellar, there's a line: "We didn't forbid you from coming back, Cooper. We just said it was unlikely." (October 2014)
Entertainment Platforms (Video Games): A quest description in a popular RPG might read: "The ancient spirits forbid passage through this corrupted forest." (From Elden Ring, February 2022)
General Public Discourse (Social Media): "My doctor absolutely forbids me from eating anything with added sugar right now. It's tough!" (Tweet, @HealthyLifeTips, March 2025)
General Public Discourse (Speech/Conversation): "I forbid you from touching that freshly painted wall!" (Heard in a conversation, July 2025)
Legal Documents: "The terms of the contract forbid the disclosure of confidential client information to third parties." (Sample legal clause, 2024)
Religious Texts (common phrasing): "Thou shalt not steal; the Lord forbids it." (Common paraphrasing of biblical commandments)
10 Quotes Using Forbid
"Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" (Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775)
"Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." (George Washington, September 17, 1796)
"One should never forbid what one lacks the power to prevent." (Napoleon Bonaparte)
"I do not know myself, and God forbid that I should." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
"God forbid that any book should be banned. The practice is as indefensible as infanticide." (Rebecca West, 1928)
"What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it." (Thomas Sowell)
"If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight even at the ruler's bidding." (Sun Tzu, The Art of War)
"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14, King James Version)
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." (Romans 6:1-2, King James Version)
"I cannot consent that my mortal body shall be laid in a repository prepared for an Emperor or a King; my republican feelings and principles forbid it." (Andrew Jackson)
Etymology
The word "forbid" has a long history, tracing its roots back to Old English.
It comes from the Old English word "forbeodan," which was made up of two parts:
"For-": This prefix, in Old English, often meant "away," "against," or "completely." Think of other words like "forget" (to completely lose from memory) or "forsake" (to completely abandon).
"Beodan": This part meant "to command" or "to proclaim." It's related to the modern English word "bid" (as in, "to bid farewell" or "to make a bid at an auction").
So, when you put them together, "forbeodan" literally meant something like "to command against" or "to prohibit completely by command."
The first known use and meaning of "forbid" (or its Old English ancestor) was precisely this: to prohibit or interdict something, usually with authority. It carried the sense of laying down a rule or command that something should not be done. This core meaning has remained remarkably consistent throughout the centuries into our modern English use.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Forbid
God forbid! (An exclamation expressing a strong hope that something will not happen, or that something negative is prevented.)
Heaven forbid! (Similar to "God forbid!")
The rules forbid it. (A direct statement that something is prohibited by regulations.)
Logic forbids it. (Meaning that something is impossible or contradictory based on reasoning.)
My conscience forbids me. (Meaning one cannot do something because it goes against their moral principles.)
To forbid the banns. (An older, less common phrase, referring to formally objecting to a proposed marriage.)
To forbid access. (To block entry or use.)
Strictly forbidden. (Emphasizing a strong prohibition.)
To prohibit entry. (Using a synonym, meaning to forbid someone from entering.)
To banish from one's thoughts. (Using a related concept, to actively prevent thinking about something.)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of forbid from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
