INDEX:
1. to tell someone that they must not do something
2. when you are not allowed to do something
3. to forbid books, films etc
4. to forbid someone from going somewhere
5. to forbid someone from taking part in an activity or sport
6. forbidden political organizations
7. an official order forbidding something
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ LET/ALLOW
not allowed by law : ↑ ILLEGAL
see also
↑ LIMIT
↑ NO
↑ RULE/REGULATION
↑ LAW
↑ STRICT/NOT STRICT
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1. to tell someone that they must not do something
▷ not let/not allow /nɒt ˈlet, nɒt əˈlaʊ/ [verb phrase]
to say that someone must not do something, and stop them doing it. Not allow is more formal than not let :
not let somebody do something
▪ My parents won’t let me stay out after 11 o'clock.
not allow somebody to do something
▪ The university does not allow athletes to work during the school year.
not allow something
▪ Joan and Bill don’t allow smoking in their house.
▷ tell somebody not to do something /ˌtel somebody nɒt tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase]
to tell someone that they should not do something, especially because it is dangerous or harmful :
▪ My mother always told us not to talk to strangers.
▪ His doctor told him not to drink any alcohol while he was taking the tablets.
▷ forbid /fəʳˈbɪd/ [transitive verb] formal
to say clearly and strongly that someone should not do something :
▪ Their religion forbids the eating of pork.
forbid somebody to do something
▪ The management forbids employees to accept tips from customers.
forbid somebody (from) doing something
▪ They were forbidden from entering the sacred chamber.
▷ say no/say somebody can’t do something /ˌseɪ ˈnəʊ, ˌseɪ somebody kɑːnt ˈduː something ǁ-kænt-/ [verb phrase]
to tell someone that they cannot do something when they have asked for your permission to do it :
▪ He wanted to use the car tonight but I said no.
▪ She wanted to go to the conference but her boss said she couldn’t take the day off from work.
▷ ban /bæn/ [transitive verb]
to officially forbid something - use this about activities that are forbidden by law or agreement, especially because they are dangerous :
▪ Many doctors now say that boxing should be banned.
▪ a new international treaty banning all nuclear tests
ban somebody from (doing) something
▪ Relatives of the prisoners were banned from visiting them.
▷ prohibit /prəˈhɪbɪt, prəˈhɪbətǁprəʊ-/ [transitive verb]
to forbid an activity by making it illegal :
▪ International Law prohibits the use of chemical weapons.
▪ The U.S. prohibited all flights to the country while the war was in progress.
prohibit somebody from doing something
▪ Mexican law prohibits the clergy from teaching in universities and schools.
▷ outlaw /ˈaʊtlɔː/ [transitive verb]
to completely forbid something by making it illegal :
▪ Attempts to outlaw abortion have so far been unsuccessful.
▪ Slavery was not officially outlawed in Australia until 1859.
▷ blacklist /ˈblækˌlɪst/ [transitive verb usually in passive]
if a government or organization blacklists someone, they keep a record of their name in order to forbid them doing a particular job or taking part in a particular activity :
▪ Members of the Communist Party were blacklisted and had great difficulty finding work.
▪ When she tried to get a loan she found she had been blacklisted.
2. when you are not allowed to do something
▷ not be allowed to do something /nɒt biː əˌlaʊd tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase]
when a person or a rule says that you must not do something :
▪ We’re not allowed to wear jewellery at school.
▪ My mom wasn’t allowed to wear makeup until she was 16.
something is not allowed
▪ Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the building.
▷ be forbidden /biː fəʳˈbɪdn/ [verb phrase]
if something is forbidden, you are not allowed to do it. If someone is forbidden to do something, they are not allowed to do it. Be forbidden is more formal than not allowed :
▪ In Saudi Arabia, alcohol and drug use are forbidden.
be forbidden to do something
▪ Prisoners were forbidden to speak to each other while they were working.
be strictly forbidden
▪ The use of mobile phones is strictly forbidden during take-off and landing.
forbidden by law
▪ Teachers were forbidden by law to teach Darwin’s theory of evolution.
▷ can’t /kɑːntǁkænt/ [verb phrase] spoken
if you can’t do something, you are not allowed to do it :
▪ You can’t park here.
▪ Dad says I can’t go out tonight.
▷ no smoking/parking etc /nəʊ ˈsməʊkɪŋ/
used on signs and notices to say that you are not allowed to smoke, park your car etc :
▪ There were ‘no smoking’ signs in every room.
▪ The gate was locked and the sign said ‘No Trespassing’.
▷ be prohibited/not be permitted /biː prəˈhɪbə̇tə̇d, nɒt biː pəʳˈmɪtə̇d/ [verb phrase] formal
to be forbidden by a law or rule - used especially on official notices and warnings :
▪ Cars are prohibited in the city centre.
▪ Talking is not permitted in class.
▪ Cameras are prohibited inside the cathedral.
▪ The use of calculators in the test is not permitted.
strictly prohibited
▪ Smoking in the cinema is strictly prohibited.
▷ be not to do something /biː ˌnɒt tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase]
use this to tell someone that they are not allowed to do something :
▪ You’re not to tell anybody about this!
▪ Employees are not to leave their cars in the company parking lot overnight.
▷ taboo /təˈbuː, tæ-/ [adjective]
a subject, word, or activity that is taboo is not normally talked about or done because it is considered embarrassing or offensive according to social custom or accepted moral standards :
▪ Sex before marriage is no longer taboo in western countries.
taboo subject
▪ Death is still a taboo subject for many people.
taboo [countable noun]
▪ Until a few years ago, there was a taboo around the subject of divorce.
3. to forbid books, films etc
▷ ban /bæn/ [transitive verb]
to forbid a book, film, play etc from being sold, seen, performed etc because it is considered morally harmful or politically dangerous :
▪ Films like that should be banned!
▪ Comics were banned in my house because my parents thought they weren’t a good influence.
▪ ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ was banned when it was first published.
▷ censor /ˈsensəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to examine films, books, letters etc and take out any parts that are considered to be morally harmful or politically dangerous :
▪ The government censored all letters and telegrams going abroad during the war.
▪ The court ruled that student newspapers could not be censored by school officials.
▷ censorship /ˈsensəʳʃɪp/ [uncountable noun]
the practice of officially examining films, books, letters etc to take out any parts which are considered to be morally harmful or politically dangerous :
▪ Any films that are shown here have to pass government censorship.
censorship of
▪ Angry journalists accused the government of censorship of free speech.
4. to forbid someone from going somewhere
▷ be out of bounds /biː ˌaʊt əv ˈbaʊndz/ [verb phrase]
if a place is out of bounds, you are not allowed to go there or enter it :
▪ When I was younger, my parents allowed me to go anywhere except the town centre, which was out of bounds.
be out of bounds to somebody
▪ The swimming pool is out of bounds to children unless they are with an adult.
▷ be off limits /biː ˌɒf ˈlɪmə̇ts/ [verb phrase]
if a place is off limits, you are officially forbidden to go there :
▪ The officer told the soldiers that the town was off limits.
be off limits to
▪ Much of the palace is off limits to the public.
▷ ground /graʊnd/ [transitive verb] informal
if a parent grounds their child, they do not allow them to go out with their friends for a period of time, as a punishment for behaving badly :
▪ Mr Finkelstein grounded his kids after they were caught fighting at school.
▪ I can’t go to the movie with you -- I’m grounded for the next two weeks.
5. to forbid someone from taking part in an activity or sport
▷ suspend /səˈspend/ [transitive verb]
to remove someone from their job or their school for a limited period of time as a punishment or in order to find out whether they have done something wrong :
▪ Martinez was suspended for a week because he attacked another student.
▪ The teacher has been suspended while the accusation is being investigated.
suspend somebody for doing something
▪ Three police officers have been suspended for accepting bribes.
▷ ban /bæn/ [transitive verb]
to officially state that someone is not allowed to do something, especially as a punishment for something bad they have done :
ban somebody from doing something
▪ She was banned from driving for 6 months.
▪ The government has banned public officials from accepting gifts from foreigners.
▷ disqualify /dɪsˈkwɒlɪfaɪ, dɪsˈkwɒləfaɪǁ-ˈkwɑː-/ [transitive verb]
to officially state that someone is no longer allowed to take part in a competition or activity, because they have broken a rule :
disqualify somebody from something
▪ Three athletes were disqualified from the championships after failing drugs tests.
disqualify somebody from doing something
▪ He was fined £500, and disqualified from holding any political office.
▷ bar /bɑːʳ/ [transitive verb usually in passive]
to forbid someone from entering a place or taking part in an activity, especially because they have done something wrong :
▪ Sorry, you can’t come into this club - you’re barred.
be barred from doing something
▪ The fans were barred from ever attending football matches in England again.
bar somebody from doing something
▪ In 1903 the New York School Board barred married women from teaching.
6. forbidden political organizations
▷ banned /bænd/ [adjective only before noun]
a banned political organization is one that is forbidden to meet or exist :
▪ The government ordered members of the banned political party to appear for questioning.
▪ Leaders of the banned trade union were arrested last night.
▷ outlawed /ˈaʊtlɔːd/ [adjective]
a political organization that is outlawed is completely forbidden to operate because it is considered extremely bad or dangerous :
▪ The government announced that the National Democratic Party had been outlawed.
▪ Police were blaming an outlawed leftist group for the bombing.
▷ illegal /ɪˈliːg ə l/ [adjective]
an illegal political organization is forbidden to operate by law :
▪ All unions have been declared illegal by the ruling party.
▪ An increasing number of racist attacks are being carried out by the NPA and other illegal organizations.
7. an official order forbidding something
▷ ban /bæn/ [countable noun]
an official statement that forbids something, based on a law or a government decision :
ban on
▪ The city has imposed a ban on smoking in all restaurants.
▪ There has been worldwide protest against the ban on girls’ education.
a total/complete ban
▪ The government is considering a total ban on the sale of handguns.
impose a ban on something
ban something
▪ A ban has been imposed on the hunting and killing of whales.
lift a ban
stop having a ban
▪ The new prime minister agreed to lift the ban on opposition newspapers.
▷ sanctions /ˈsæŋkʃ ə nz/ [plural noun]
official orders forbidding trade or dealings with a particular country, used as a way of punishing them or stopping them from doing something :
▪ Economic sanctions can be as effective as military action.
sanctions against
▪ The Canadian foreign minister criticized U.S. sanctions against Cuba.
sanctions on
▪ Protesters called for sanctions on all countries that violate the human rights of their citizens.
impose sanctions
start having sanctions
▪ The U.S. threatened to impose sanctions on any country that used chemical or biological weapons.
▷ embargo /ɪmˈbɑːʳgəʊ/ [countable noun]
an official order forbidding trade in a particular product with a particular country for political or economic reasons :
trade/oil/arms etc embargo
▪ There was a relaxation of the American trade embargo.
embargo on
▪ an embargo on British beef
▪ The government has imposed an arms embargo on countries involved in international terrorism.
▷ injunction /ɪnˈdʒʌŋkʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
an official order made by a court forbidding someone to do something, which includes a threat of punishment if they ignore the order :
▪ A court injunction forbade Clive Heywood to enter his wife’s house.
take out an injunction
get an injunction from a court
▪ The government is taking out an injunction against the newspaper to try to stop it publishing a secret report.