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

That prohibition did not explicitly cover online sales, but the city of San Diego is one of a number of local governments that adopted laws to eliminate any potential loophole. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

There is no prohibition in statute of law that would keep a county from keeping their registrar's office open on the weekend to collect absentee ballots. —Daniel Klaidman, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024

There are no such prohibitions in the U.S. and no one knows how many such experiments are conducted and what kinds are done. —Peter Singer, TIME, 26 Oct. 2024

Inspired by prohibition, the bottom level is full of bold spirit-forward cocktails. —Ryan Slattery, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 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