prohibit

Make officially unlawful

To prohibit is to forbid or prevent by authority or rule.

Laws prohibit certain conduct; signs prohibit parking; regulations prohibit smoking.

The word carries more formal weight than simple forbidding—it implies official sanction or enforcement: Federal law prohibits discrimination in hiring.

What is prohibited is often called a prohibition.

ban

outlaw

Fugitive from justice

forbidDeclare not allowed
vetoOfficial refusal to approve
proscribeOfficially forbid something

disallow · embargo · criminalize · illegalize · taboo · moratorium · enjoin · blackball · nix · censor

prevent

preclude

Make impossible in advance

preemptAct to prevent
stopCease all motion
blockSolid mass, or impede

halt · check · curb · hinder · impede · avert · thwart · forestall · obstruct · deter

legal

injunction

Court-ordered behavioral requirement

statuteEnacted written rule
ordinanceOfficial government regulation
regulationOfficial rules governing conduct

decree · mandate · law · legislation · enforcement · penalty · sanction · violation · contravention · compliance

restrict

limit

Maximum allowed extent

constrainTo limit or restrict
curtailTo cut short
controlAuthority to direct

regulate · confine · restrain · contain · moderate · withhold · cap · ration · quota · limitation

prohibit

outlaw

preclude

injunction

limit

prohibit

Opposites

Phrases

Categories

Family