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Definition of "proscribe" [pro•scribe]

  • To denounce or condemn. (verb-transitive)
  • To prohibit; forbid. See Synonyms at forbid. (verb-transitive)
  • To banish or outlaw (a person). (verb-transitive)
  • To publish the name of (a person) as outlawed. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "proscribe" in a sentence
  • "When I commented that you were in error in your use of the word proscribe, I meant exactly that, bit."
  • "On most washdays I use chlorine bleach on several articles whose labels proscribe it, without the slightest damage, and many of these have been receiving chlorine bleach now and then for years."
  • "A draft of the report circulated to SEC commissioners over the weekend didn't proscribe any policy changes, nor did it attempt to nudge regulators to pursue certain reforms, according to a person who has seen it."