forbid
To order someone not to do something.
- The rules forbid running beside the swimming pool.
- Mum will forbid any more sweets if we don't brush our teeth.
Similar: ban, prohibit, bar
forbid or prohibit?
Anyone in charge can forbid something. Prohibit is the official word for rules and laws.
Both words mean saying no to something, so children often think they are just a short and a long way of saying the same thing. The difference is who is saying no.
Forbid is the everyday word. A parent can forbid screens at the dinner table; a teacher can forbid talking during a test. Rules can forbid things too, but forbid works perfectly well for one person giving an order.
Prohibit is official. It is the word on signs and in rules: 'Ball games prohibited', 'Parking is prohibited outside the school gates'. It would sound very odd for Mum to say she prohibits you from eating biscuits before tea. If you can imagine the words printed on a notice, prohibit fits.
Both words, side by side
prohibit
To officially say that something is not allowed.
- Signs by the pond prohibit fishing, so the ducks paddle about in peace.
- The museum rules prohibit flash photography, so our cameras stayed in our bags.
Similar: ban, forbid, stop
Why it costs marks
Verbal reasoning questions often pair a word with its most formal or most everyday match. Knowing that prohibit belongs with laws and notices helps a child choose between close options, and use the right tone in their own writing.
Definitions and example sentences on this page are the ones a child sees inside Wordrealm, taken from our list of over 1,100 words. It is free to browse, with nothing to sign up for.
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test