prohibition

The word “prohibition” means an act of forbidding something, or a rule that forbids it. In plain terms, an official ban, or (capitalized) the historical era when alcohol was banned in the US.

“Prohibition” is pronounced proh-ih-BIH-shuhn (/ˌpɹoʊ(h)ɪˈbɪʃən/ in IPA).

Here is “prohibition” used in a sentence: “The prohibition on late-night deliveries frustrated local businesses.”

Words with a similar meaning to “prohibition” include forbode.

The opposite of “prohibition” — its antonyms — is permission.

“Prohibition” is a noun.

The word “prohibition” comes from Latin. From Latin prohibitio, from prohibeo, "to forbid, prevent.".

“Prohibition” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Prohibition means something is completely forbidden, with no allowance made for it, while a restriction limits how, when, or how much something can be done without banning it outright. A restriction on alcohol sales might limit hours, whereas a prohibition would ban sales entirely.

When capitalized, Prohibition refers specifically to the historical period when the making and selling of alcohol was made illegal in the United States. The lowercase word prohibition refers more generally to any act or rule of forbidding something.

Prohibition and ban are close synonyms, both describing something made illegal or forbidden. Ban is the more common everyday word, while prohibition is often used in more formal, legal, or historical contexts.