ENGLISH
REFERENCE

forbidden

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈfɔɹbɪdən// UK //fəbˈɪdən// for·bid·den

v. not allowed because of a rule or a law. You use this to describe something that people must not do or have.

v. prohibited by law, rule, or custom; strictly disallowed. Often carries a stronger sense of moral or legal weight than 'not allowed'.


SIMPLE

Smoking is forbidden inside the building.

CONTEXTUAL

The local government has forbidden the use of plastic bags in all grocery stores to reduce waste.

COMPLEX

In many ancient cultures, entering the inner sanctum of the temple was strictly forbidden to anyone except the high priest, under penalty of exile.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

Past participle of the verb forbid. Doublet of verboten. Compare German verboten, Dutch verboden, Swedish förbjuden, and West Frisian ferbean.

Usage

Commonly used as a predicative adjective after 'is' or 'was', but can also modify nouns directly.

Pitfall

It is forbidden to smoking hereIt is forbidden to smoke hereWhen 'forbidden' is followed by an action, use the infinitive 'to smoke' rather than the gerund 'smoking'.

Idioms1 entry

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