# forbid

Pronunciation: US say "fur-BID" /fɚˈbɪd/; UK say "fuh-BID" /fəˈbɪd/

## Verb

1. To prohibit or disallow something by refusing to permit it.
   - Simple: To tell someone that they are not allowed to do something.
   - _Local laws forbid open fires during the dry season._
   - _Her doctor forbade any strenuous exercise after surgery._
2. To deny someone access to something, or to warn them away, by a direct command.
   - Simple: To clearly order someone to stay away or to not come in.
   - _The general forbade the troops from crossing the river._
   - _Temple elders forbid outsiders from entering the inner sanctum._
3. To oppose, hinder, or prevent something, as though acting by an effective command.
   - Simple: To stop or prevent something from being able to happen.
   - _The steep cliffs forbid any approach from the sea._
   - _Her sense of duty forbade her from abandoning the post._

## Verb

4. To curse someone or something; to blight or strike as if with a curse. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To put a curse on someone or something.
5. To defy or challenge someone; to set oneself openly against an opponent. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To openly stand against someone and dare them to act.

## Origin

From Middle English forbeden, from Old English forbēodan (“to forbid, prohibit, restrain”), from Proto-Germanic *furibeudaną. It is made up of for- (“from, away”) plus bid (“to offer, proclaim”), and is related to Dutch verbieden and German verbieten.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/forbid (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).