Forbid Meaning
/fəˈbɪd/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo disallow; to proscribe.
verbTo deny, exclude from, or warn off, by express command.
Sentence Examples
I forbid you to smoke.
I forbid smoking in my room.
God forbid that anything should happen to Tom.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Our parents strictly ____ us to watch television until we finish our homework.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new laws strictly ____ the disposal of industrial waste into the clean city river.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English forbeden, from Old English forbēodan (“to forbid, prohibit, restrain, refuse, repeal, annul”), from Proto-Germanic *furibeudaną, from *furi + *beudaną. Equivalent to for- (“from, away”) + bid (“to offer, proclaim”). Cognate with Dutch verbieden (“to forbid”), German verbieten (“to forbid”), Danish forbyde (“to forbid”), Norwegian Bokmål forby (“to forbid”), Swedish förbjuda (“to forbid”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌱𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽 (faurbiudan). Related to forbode.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] the Mole recollected that animal-etiquette forbade any sort of comment on the sudden disappearance of one's friends at any moment, for any reason or no reason whatever."
— 1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC:
"Solon also forbade the export of corn and other agricultural products, with the single exception of olive oil, of which Athens had a surplus."
— 1998, Robert Garland, Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks, Greenwood Press, →ISBN, page 8:
"Have I not forbid her my house?"
— c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
"a blaze of glory that forbids the sight"
— 1687, [John Dryden], “(please specify the page number)”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:
"He shall live a man forbid."
— c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Our parents strictly ____ us to watch television until we finish our homework.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new laws strictly ____ the disposal of industrial waste into the clean city river.