Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: forbeodan

forbid

 verb
     
for‧bid past tense forbade past participle forbidden present participle forbidding [transitive]
1 to tell someone that they are not allowed to do something, or that something is not allowed [≠ permit]
forbid somebody to do something
He was forbidden to leave the house, as a punishment.
forbid somebody from doing something
Women are forbidden from going out without a veil.
strictly/expressly/explicitly etc forbid
The law strictly forbids racial or sexual discrimination.
! It is more usual to say that someone is not allowed to do something, rather than forbidden to do it: I'm not allowed to stay out after midnight.
2

God/Heaven forbid

spoken used to emphasize that you hope that something will not happen:
'Supposing I had an accident.' 'God forbid!'
3 formal to make it impossible for someone to do something [= prevent]:
Lack of space forbids listing the names of all those who contributed.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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