To '''prohibit''' something is to make a [[proclamation]], [[edict]] or [[law]] that a certain [[activity]] should not be undertaken. This may range from a simple statement by [[parent]]s that their [[children]] should not see a particular [[friend]] because of undesirable characteristics to [[commandment]]s from [[God]] which for example prohibit children [[marriage|marrying]] their parents or working on the [[sabbath]].
During the 1920s the [[American]] [[government]] imposed a ban on the manufacture and sale of alcohol. This was known as [[Prohibition]].