forbid

forbid
forbid
1. The past tense is forbade, although forbad is occasionally used and cannot be said to be wrong. The pronunciation of forbade is -bayd or (as if it were forbad) -bad.
2. Forbid can be followed by a noun (often a verbal noun): Cars are forbidden on the beach / The law forbids smoking in public places altogether. When forbid has a personal object it is normally followed by to + infinitive: I forbid you to go / We were forbidden to go. A construction with object + from + verb in -ing is also found, on the analogy of prevent and prohibit:

• He overcame the barrier known as the ‘colour line’ which effectively forbade blacks from boxing whites —E. Cashmore, 1982

• Current laws forbid a company from operating a reactor even after it has been built —New Scientist, 1991.

Fowler (1926) regarded this construction as ‘unidiomatic’ but it has been in use since the 16c and is likely to remain so since the analogies are powerful. This construction is occasionally used with omission of from

• (The petition asked the king to forbid villeins sending their children to school —S. J. Curtis, 1948

• She'd far rather have enjoyed the company of her contemporaries and, in fact, Colonel Goreng didn't forbid her consorting with them —Timothy Mo, 1991)

but this can be regarded as non-standard. (In the 1991 example, consorting may be construed as a verbal noun qualified by possessive her).

Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • forbid — forbid, prohibit, enjoin, interdict, inhibit, ban are comparable when meaning to debar a person from using, doing, or entering or to order something not be used, done, or entered. Forbid is the more direct and familiar, prohibit, the more formal… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Forbid — For*bid (f[o^]r*b[i^]d ), v. t. [imp. {Forbade} (f[o^]r*b[a^]d ); p. p. {Forbidden} (f[o^]r*b[i^]d d n) ({Forbid}, [Obs.]); p. pr. & vb. n. {Forbidding} (f[o^]r*b[i^]d d[i^]ng).] [OE. forbeden, AS. forbe[ o]dan; pref. for + be[ o]dan to bid; akin …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Forbid — For*bid (f[o^]r*b[i^]d ), v. t. [imp. {Forbade} (f[o^]r*b[a^]d ); p. p. {Forbidden} (f[o^]r*b[i^]d d n) ({Forbid}, [Obs.]); p. pr. & vb. n. {Forbidding} (f[o^]r*b[i^]d d[i^]ng).] [OE. forbeden, AS. forbe[ o]dan; pref. for + be[ o]dan to bid; akin …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • forbid — [fər bid′, fôrbid′] vt. forbade or forbad, forbidden or Archaic forbid, forbidding [ME forbeden < OE forbeodan: see FOR & BID1] 1. to rule against; not permit; prohibit 2. to command to stay away from; exclude or bar from …   English World dictionary

  • forbid — (v.) O.E. forbeodan forbid, prohibit, from FOR (Cf. for ) against + beodan to command (see BID (Cf. bid)). Common Germanic compound (Cf. Du. verbieden, O.H.G. farbiotan, Ger. verbieten, O.N. fyrirbjoða, Goth …   Etymology dictionary

  • forbid — ► VERB (forbidding; past forbade or forbad; past part. forbidden) 1) refuse to allow. 2) order not to do. ● the forbidden degrees Cf. ↑the forbidden degrees …   English terms dictionary

  • Forbid — For*bid , v. i. To utter a prohibition; to prevent; to hinder. I did not or forbid. Milton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • forbid — I verb ban, bar, block, check, command not to do, debar, declare illegal, deny, deny permission, deprive, deter, disallow, disapprove, discountenance, discourage, enjoin, exclude, forfend, hinder, impede, inhibit, interdicere, interdict, make… …   Law dictionary

  • forbid — [v] outlaw, prohibit an action ban, block, cancel, censor, check, debar, declare illegal, deny, deprive, disallow, embargo, enjoin, exclude, forestall, forfend, freeze*, halt, hinder, hold up, impede, inhibit, interdict, lock up, nix*, obstruct,… …   New thesaurus

  • forbid — forbidder, n. /feuhr bid , fawr /, v.t., forbade or forbad or forbid, forbidden or forbid, forbidding. 1. to command (a person) not to do something, have something, etc., or not to enter some place: to forbid him entry to the house …   Universalium

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