Proscribe — Meaning, Definition, & Examples | SAT Vocabulary
Be careful! This word looks a lot like 'prescribe', so be sure to learn it.
📚️ Definition of Proscribe
Proscribe (verb): To forbid, condemn, or prohibit something, especially by law or official decree. Example: to proscribe smoking in all public buildings.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Proscribe
IPA: /proʊˈskraɪb/ (See IPA key)
Respelling: proh-SKRYB
📰 Examples of Proscribe
Here are some examples of the word proscribe:
The school’s dress code proscribes torn jeans and tank tops.
The Geneva Conventions proscribe the use of chemical weapons in warfare.
“Emperor Paul could not safely be trusted with power over his fellow creatures. One day he forbade the wearing of pantaloons. Another day he forbade his subjects to comb their hair over their foreheads. Then he proscribed round hats. A young Englishman, the son of a merchant, thought to evade this decree by going about the city in a hunting cap. Then came out an edict which made it penal to wear on the head a round thing such as the English merchant’s son wore.” — The Gates of Somnauth (1843) by Thomas Babington Macaulay