Library / English Dictionary

INHIBIT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Prohibit, forbid, or prevent from doing something

Example:

Contact between the young was inhibited by strict social customs

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

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:

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

Example:

his father's cold and distant demeanor inhibited him emotionally

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

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

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Example:

he let his anger bottle up until he exploded

Synonyms:

bottle up; inhibit; suppress

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

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:

Limit, block, or decrease the action or function of

Example:

inhibit the rate of a chemical reaction

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

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)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Any substance that inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AchE), an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine (Ach) in the synaptic cleft.

(Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor, NCI Thesaurus)

This agent may also inhibit tumor angiogenesis.

(Acitretin, NCI Thesaurus)

As an antiestrogen, this agent may inhibit the growth-stimulating effects of estrogen on estrogen-sensitive tumor cells.

(Medroxyprogesterone, NCI Thesaurus)

Abiraterone inhibits the enzymatic activity of steroid 17alpha-monooxygenase (17alpha-hydrolase/C17,20 lyase complex; CYP17A1), a member of the cytochrome p450 family that catalyzes the 17alpha-hydroxylation of steroid intermediates involved in testosterone synthesis.

(Abiraterone, NCI Thesaurus)

Borrelidin inhibits translation by binding to 4 sites that are necessary for threonyl-tRNA synthetase to function.

(Scientists Discover Antibiotic Mechanism, NIH)

We showed that if you inhibit the enzyme’s activity then you can kill the parasites as they are growing in red blood cells.

(New way to stop falciparum malaria transmission, SciDev.Net)

As a result RNA transcription and protein synthesis are inhibited, ultimately leading to cell growth arrest and/or death.

(Melphalan Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

Subsequently, RNA transcription and protein synthesis are inhibited, resulting in cell growth arrest.

(Melphalan Hydrochloride/Sulfobutyl Ether Beta-Cyclodextrin Complex, NCI Thesaurus)

They found that alcohol and CBs converge on the Sonic Hedgehog pathway to inhibit signaling between molecules in cells that control growth and development in the embryo.

(Using both marijuana and alcohol during early pregnancy may increase the likelihood of disrupting fetal development, National Institutes of Health)

Inhibiting the oxygen-sensing capability of immune cells, either genetically or pharmacologically, prevented lung metastasis.

(Oxygen can impair cancer immunotherapy in mice, NIH)