English Reference
adjective · verb

forbidden

adj. · v.
US /ˈfɔɹbɪdən/ UK /fəbˈɪdən/ for·bid·den

  1. 01 B1 Intermediate

    adj.not allowed by a rule, law, or social custom.

    adj.prohibited by authority, law, or social convention.

    Simple

    Smoking is strictly forbidden inside the hospital building.

    In context

    The treaty explicitly states that the development of chemical weapons is forbidden under international law.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    v.the past participle form of the verb 'forbid', meaning to order someone not to do something.

    v.the past participle of 'forbid', used in passive constructions or perfect tenses to indicate a prohibition.

    Simple

    The children were forbidden from playing near the busy road.

    In context

    Having been forbidden from entering the archives, the researcher had to rely on secondary sources for her thesis.

    Usage

    often used in the passive voice with 'from' and a gerund.


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

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated