Standard Lemma guide

inhibit

verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪnˈhɪbɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪbɪt
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N HH IH1 B AH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To hold in or hold back; to keep in check; restrain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • inhibit someone's freedom
  • inhibit someone's education

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: behedge, blunt, crimp, delay, difficult, diminish, forestay, interfere, intervene, forslow, frustrate, get in the way, hamper, handicap, hinder, hold up, hurt, impair, impede, incommode, lessen, let, mar, obstruct, overslaugh, preclude, prevene, prevent, prohibit, reduce, restrict, retard, slow down, stay, stymie, thwart, thwarten, umbeset, undermine, weaken, worsen

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To recuse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Philippines

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

to put down by force or authority

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • suppress a nascent uprising
  • stamp down on littering
  • conquer one's desires

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: suppress, stamp down, subdue, conquer, curb

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: control, hold in, hold, contain, check, curb, moderate

Narrower terms: wink, blink, blink away, stifle, dampen, choke off, choke down, choke back, hush, quieten, silence, still, shut up, hush up, burke, squelch, quell, quench, smother, strangle, muffle, repress

4

verb

Meaning 4

limit the range or extent of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Contact between the young was inhibited by strict social customs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: restrict, restrain, trammel, limit, bound, confine, throttle

5

verb

Meaning 5

control and refrain from showing; of emotions, desires, impulses, or behavior

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bottle up, suppress

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: restrain, keep, keep back, hold back

Narrower terms: restrain, keep, keep back, hold back, quench, choke

6

verb

Meaning 6

limit, block, or decrease the action or function of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • inhibit the action of the enzyme
  • inhibit the rate of a chemical reaction

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: impede, hinder

History

Etymology

From Latin inhibitus, perfect passive participle of inhibeō (“to hold in, check, restrain”), from in (“in, at, on”), + habeō (“to have, hold, keep”).

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: задържам (zadǎržam) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Bulgarian: препятствам (prepjatstvam) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Catalan: inhibir — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Chinese Mandarin: 抑制 (yìzhì) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Czech: potlačit — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Dutch: remmen — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Esperanto: inhibicii — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Finnish: rajoittaa — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Finnish: estää — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • French: inhiber — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Galician: inhibir — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • German: hemmen — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • German: hindern — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • German: sperren — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • German: verhindern — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Greek: αναχαιτίζω (anachaitízo) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Greek: αναστέλλω (anastéllo) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Hindi: बाधा डालना (bādhā ḍālnā) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Hindi: रोकना (roknā) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Hungarian: gátol — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Hungarian: akadályoz — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Irish: urchoill — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Italian: inibire — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Japanese: 抑制する 阻止する 制止する (soshi-suru) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Japanese: 抑止する (yokushi-suru) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Northern Kurdish: asteng kirin — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Māori: tautāwhi — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Māori: tāmoe — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Occitan: inibir — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Occitan: enebir — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Portuguese: inibir — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Romanian: inhiba — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Russian: подавля́ть (podavljátʹ) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Russian: подави́ть (podavítʹ) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Russian: сде́рживать (sdérživatʹ) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Russian: сдержа́ть (sderžátʹ) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Russian: угнета́ть (ugnetátʹ) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Russian: препя́тствовать (prepjátstvovatʹ) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Russian: воспрепя́тствовать (vosprepjátstvovatʹ) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Russian: меша́ть (mešátʹ) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Russian: помеша́ть (pomešátʹ) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Spanish: inhibir — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Spanish: frustrar — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Spanish: coartar — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Swedish: hämma — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Swedish: avstyra — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Swedish: förhindra — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Tagalog: sansalain — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Turkish: engellemek — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Turkish: kısıtlamak — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Turkish: önlemek — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Turkish: tutmak — to hold in or hold back; to restrain
  • Ukrainian: перешкоджати (pereškodžaty) — to hold in or hold back; to restrain