forbad
Definition
- Verb (past tense of ):
- To prohibit or make impossible: "forbad" is the simple past tense of "forbid," meaning to refuse to allow something or to order someone not to do something. It indicates a past action of prohibition.
Usage Examples
- (The teacher prohibited phone use.)
- (The law made smoking illegal.)
- (His parents ordered him not to go out.)
Advanced Usage
- "forbad" as formal or archaic: While "forbad" is a valid past tense form, "forbade" is more common in modern English. "Forbad" appears in older or literary texts.
- The king forbad any criticism of his rule. (A formal, historical prohibition.)
Variants and Related Words
- Forbid (verb, present tense): to order someone not to do something.
- I forbid you to enter this room. (I prohibit you from entering.)
- Forbade (verb, past tense): alternative past tense form of .
- She forbade her children to play near the road. (She prohibited them.)
- Forbidden (verb, past participle): used in perfect tenses or as an adjective.
- The area is forbidden to visitors. (The area is prohibited.)
- Forbidding (adjective): unfriendly or threatening in appearance.
- The mountain had a forbidding look. (It appeared dangerous.)
Synonyms
- Prohibited: officially not allowed.
- Smoking is prohibited in this building. (It is banned.)
- Banned: explicitly disallowed by authority.
- The book was banned from schools. (It was forbidden.)
- Outlawed: made illegal.
- The practice was outlawed in the 19th century. (It was forbidden by law.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Forbid from: to stop someone from doing something.
- The rules forbid employees from using personal devices. (The rules prohibit it.)
Related Idioms
- God forbid: an expression of strong hope that something will not happen.
- God forbid that we should ever face such a disaster. (May it never happen.)