I. ta ‧ boo 1 /təˈbuː, tæ-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: Tongan ; Origin: tabu ]
1 . a taboo subject, word, activity etc is one that people avoid because it is extremely offensive or embarrassing:
Rape is a taboo subject.
2 . not accepted as socially correct:
It’s taboo to date a man a lot younger than you.
3 . too holy or evil to be touched or used
II. taboo 2 BrE AmE noun ( plural taboos ) [countable]
a custom that says you must avoid a particular activity or subject, either because it is considered offensive or because your religion does not allow it
taboo about/on/against
There are taboos against appearing naked in public places.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a social taboo
There is a social taboo against expressing negative views of other races.
▪ a sexual taboo
The old sexual taboos had disappeared.
■ verbs
▪ break/violate a taboo
He is willing to break the taboo about discussing the effects of large-scale immigration.
▪ observe a taboo (=not do something that is considered offensive or unacceptable)
The Kalenjin people of Kenya still observe a taboo against eating fish.
■ phrases
▪ the taboo surrounding something (=relating to something)
John's work did much to remove the taboo surrounding the disease.