INHIBIT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does inhibit mean? 

• INHIBIT (verb)
  The verb INHIBIT has 4 senses:

1. prohibit, forbid, or prevent from doing something

2. limit, block, or decrease the action or function of

3. consciously restrain from showing; of emotions, desires, impulses, or behavior

4. make (someone) self-conscious and as a result unable to act naturally

  Familiarity information: INHIBIT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INHIBIT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they inhibit    ... he / she / it inhibits   
Past simple: inhibited   
Past participle: inhibited   
-ing form: inhibiting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Prohibit, forbid, or prevent from doing something

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

Contact between the young was inhibited by strict social customs

Hypernyms (to "inhibit" is one way to...):

forbid; foreclose; forestall; preclude; prevent (keep from happening or arising; make impossible)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

inhibition (the action of prohibiting or inhibiting or forbidding (or an instance thereof))

inhibitor (a substance that retards or stops an activity)

inhibitory (restrictive of action)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Limit, block, or decrease the action or function of

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

inhibit the rate of a chemical reaction

Hypernyms (to "inhibit" is one way to...):

hinder; impede (be a hindrance or obstacle to)

Domain category:

biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

inhibitor (a substance that retards or stops an activity)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Consciously restrain from showing; of emotions, desires, impulses, or behavior

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

bottle up; inhibit; suppress

Context example:

he let his anger bottle up until he exploded

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "inhibit"):

dampen; stifle (suppress or constrain so as to lessen in intensity)

muffle; repress; smother; stifle; strangle (suppress in order to conceal or hide)

choke (check or slow down the action or effect of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

inhibition ((psychology) the conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts or desires)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Make (someone) self-conscious and as a result unable to act naturally

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Context example:

his father's cold and distant demeanor inhibited him emotionally

Hypernyms (to "inhibit" is one way to...):

discomfit; discompose; disconcert; untune; upset (cause to lose one's composure)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

 Context examples 

MEK inhibitor RO4987655 binds to and inhibits MEK, which may result in the inhibition of MEK-dependent cell signaling and the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation.

(MEK Inhibitor RO4987655, NCI Thesaurus)

Intriguingly, all of the more than 100 Bacillus isolates they had recovered from the human feces efficiently inhibited that system.

(Study finds probiotic Bacillus eliminates Staphylococcus bacteria, National Institutes of Health)

MEK-1/MEKK-1 inhibitor E6201 specifically binds to and inhibits the activities of MEK-1 and MEKK-1, which may result in the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation.

(MEK-1/MEKK-1 Inhibitor E6201, NCI Thesaurus)

Upon oral administration, MEK/Aurora kinase inhibitor BI 847325 selectively binds to and inhibits the activity of MEK, which both prevents the activation of MEK-dependent effector proteins and inhibits growth factor-mediated cell signaling.

(MEK/Aurora Kinase Inhibitor BI 847325, NCI Thesaurus)

Upon administration, OTS167 binds to MELK, which prevents both MELK phosphorylation and activation; thus inhibiting the phosphorylation of downstream MELK substrates.

(MELK Inhibitor OTS167, NCI Thesaurus)

The Cambridge researchers have used a special nanoparticle to protect and deliver siRNA to cells, where they show its ability to inhibit a specific target gene.

(Nanoparticles used to transport anti-cancer agent to cells, University of Cambridge)

Scientists at ARS’s Natural Product Utilization Research Unit (NPURU) in Oxford, Mississippi, are investigating whether sorghum’s weed-inhibiting properties can be transferred to other crops like rice and used as a bioherbicide.

(Transferring Sorghum’s Weed-Killing Power to Rice, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Activated by lysopc, AKAP12 inhibits PKC.

(A Kinase Anchor Protein 12, NCI Thesaurus)

The active principal metabolite of phenacetin, acetaminophen appears to inhibit prostaglandin biosynthesis in the central nervous system and less in peripheral tissues.

(Acetaminophen/Diphenhydramine, NCI Thesaurus)

When used in toothpaste, triclosan prevents the build-up of plaque bacteria by inhibiting the action of an enzyme known as enoyl reductase (ENR), which is involved in the production of fatty acids.

(Toothpaste ingredient may help fight drug-resistant malaria, University of Cambridge)