enjoin

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1. Enjoin has meanings connected with commanding and issuing instructions, and is typically used in three constructions: (1) you enjoin a person to do something, (2) you enjoin something on a person, and (3) you enjoin that something should happen. Fowler (1926) wrote that the first of these 'is not recommended', but his reasons were not convincing even then and this construction is now too common and useful to be objected to:

The church had enjoined the faithful to say an Ave Maria—Barry Unsworth, 1985

I was particularly enjoined to keep away from the dogs, and never to give any of them my hands—Liverpool Daily Post, 2003

He not only enjoins us to eat bread,...but he asks that we 'empathise' with the yeast as it goes about its leavening work—Sunday Times, 2006.

2. In an almost opposite meaning, in use in legal language since the 16th century, enjoin means 'to prohibit or forbid' (an action); in this meaning it can refer to a person or thing, and is typically followed by from:

The Al-Fayed brothers...sought to enjoin the Observer from publishing the results of its continuing enquiries—Observer, 1986

Metropolitan Life...has filed a suit to enjoin the takeover—Times, 1988.

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To command or instruct with authority.
See also injunction.

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verb

1. To give orders to: bid, charge, command, direct, instruct, order, tell. See over/under, words.
2. To refuse to allow: ban, debar, disallow, forbid, inhibit, interdict, outlaw, prohibit, proscribe, taboo. See allow/prevent.

v

Definition: forbid
Antonyms: allow, permit

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

To direct, require, command, or admonish.

Enjoin connotes a degree of urgency, as when a court enjoins one party in a lawsuit by ordering the person to do, or refrain from doing, something to prevent permanent loss to the other party or parties. This type of order is known as an injunction.

See words rhyming with "enjoin."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Enjoin.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - beordre, indskærpe, pålægge, forbyde

Nederlands (Dutch)
opleggen, verbieden

Français (French)
v. tr. - imposer à (le silence, l'obéissance), recommander (la prudence, la discrétion), prescrire, (US) interdire à qn de

Deutsch (German)
v. - auferlegen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - εντέλλομαι, διατάζω

Italiano (Italian)
imporre

Português (Portuguese)
v. - ordenar, proibir

Русский (Russian)
предписывать, обязывать, приказывать, запрещать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - imponer, ordenar, prohibir

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - ålägga, föreskriva

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
吩咐, 嘱咐, 命令

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 吩咐, 囑咐, 命令

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 명하다, ~하는 것을 금하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 命じる, …に…するように命じる, 禁ずる, 言い付ける

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يمنع, يفرض‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮ציווה, הטיל, חייב, אסר על‬

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