prohibition

noun

pro·​hi·​bi·​tion ˌprō-ə-ˈbi-shən 

also

ˌprō-hə- 

1

: the act of prohibiting by authority

2

: an order to restrain or stop

3

often capitalized : the forbidding by law of the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic liquors except for medicinal and sacramental purposes

Synonyms

• banning
• barring
• enjoining
• forbidding
• interdicting
• interdiction
• outlawing
• prohibiting
• proscribing
• proscription

Examples of prohibition in a Sentence

the city's prohibition of smoking in restaurants

a prohibition against parking on the street

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, Goldwater Institute's claim that the increase in the bed tax constitutes an unconstitutional tax on a service misconstrues the Arizona Constitution's prohibition on tax increases for services. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025

The current version of the policy maintains prohibitions on Holocaust denials, Blackface, insinuations about Jewish people controlling the media. —Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 7 Jan. 2025

Policy may stem from surgeon general's letter At the Nov. 14 meeting, the new prohibitions were relayed to program staff by Tonya Joiner, an assistant secretary in the department and the head of the Office of Public Health, and Katye Magee, a policy director. —Rosemary Westwood, NPR, 20 Dec. 2024

Drone prohibitions go as far south as Hancocks Bridge and as far north as Cedar Grove and Clifton. —Jay Blackman, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prohibition

• writ of prohibition

Kids Definition

prohibition

noun

pro·​hi·​bi·​tion ˌprō-ə-ˈbish-ən 

1

: the act of prohibiting

2

: an order forbidding something

3

often capitalized : the forbidding by law of the sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages

Legal Definition

prohibition

noun

pro·​hi·​bi·​tion ˌprō-ə-ˈbi-shən 

1

a

: an extraordinary writ issued by a higher court commanding an inferior court to keep within its proper jurisdiction (as by ceasing a prosecution)

b

: an order to refrain or stop

2

a

: something (as a law) that prohibits a certain act or procedure

b

capitalized : the period from 1920 to 1933 in the U.S. when the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic liquors was prohibited by the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

prohibitive

prō-ˈhi-bə-tiv 

adjective

prohibitively adverb

prohibitory

-ˈhi-bə-ˌtōr-ē 

adjective