Definition of 'inhibit'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense inhibits
, present participle inhibiting
, past tense, past participle inhibited
2. verb
To inhibit someone from doing something means to prevent them from doing it, although they want to do it or should be able to do it.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
inhibit in British English
verbWord forms: -its, -iting, -ited (transitive)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
inhibitable (inˈhibitable) adjective
inhibitive (inˈhibitive) or inhibitory (inˈhibitory)
adjective
Word origin
C15: from Latin inhibēre to restrain, from in-2 + habēre to have
Word Frequency
inhibit in American English
verb transitive
2. Rare
to prohibit; forbid
SIMILAR WORDS: reˈstrain
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
< L inhibitus, pp. of inhibere, to hold back, restrain, curb < in-, in, on + habere, to have, hold: see habitWord Frequency
inhibit in American English
(ɪnˈhɪbɪt)
transitive verb
SYNONYMS 1. repress, discourage, obstruct. 2. interdict. See forbid.1.
to restrain, hinder, arrest, or check (an action, impulse, etc.)
2.
to prohibit; forbid
3. Psychology
to consciously or unconsciously suppress or restrain (psychologically or sociologically unacceptable behavior)
4. Chemistry
to decrease the rate of action of or stop (a chemical reaction)
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
inhibitable adjective
inhibitory (ɪnˈhɪbɪˌtɔri, -ˌtouri) or inhibitive
adjective
Word origin
[1425–75; late ME inhibiten ‹ L inhibitus, ptp. of inhibēre to restrain, equiv. to in- in-2 + -hibēre, comb. form of habēre to have, hold]Examples of 'inhibit' in a sentence
inhibit
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In other languages
inhibit
British English: inhibit
VERB /ɪnˈhɪbɪt/
If something inhibits an event or process, it prevents it or slows it down.
Sugary drinks inhibit digestion.
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inhibit
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Definition of inhibit from the Collins English Dictionary
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