Meaning
Inhibit (verb) means to prevent, restrain, or hold back an action, process, or feeling. It is often used in both scientific and everyday contexts.
- In daily use: to make someone unable to act freely or naturally.
- In science/medicine: to slow down or prevent a process, such as chemical reactions or biological growth.
Grammar and Usage
-
Part of speech: verb (transitive)
-
Sentence patterns:
- "inhibit + noun" → Fear inhibited his performance.
- "be inhibited by" → She was inhibited by shyness.
-
Common in formal, academic, and psychological contexts.
Common Phrases
- inhibit growth – to slow or prevent growth
- inhibit development – to stop or delay progress
- inhibit behavior – to restrain natural actions
- inhibit performance – to make performance worse
- be inhibited by fear/shyness – to feel restrained emotionally
Collocations
- verb + inhibit: strongly inhibit, significantly inhibit, partially inhibit
- inhibit + noun: inhibit growth, inhibit progress, inhibit innovation, inhibit learning
- adjective + noun + inhibit: chemical agents inhibit, fear inhibits, stress inhibits
Examples
- Fear of failure can inhibit creativity.
- The drug is designed to inhibit the spread of the virus.
- His shyness inhibited him from speaking in public.
- Lack of funding inhibits research development.
- The rules are meant to inhibit dangerous behavior.
- Anxiety often inhibits performance in exams.
- Certain chemicals inhibit plant growth.
- She felt inhibited by her strict upbringing.
- Stress can inhibit learning and memory.
- Innovation is often inhibited by excessive regulations.
Synonyms or Related
- restrain
- hinder
- suppress
- prevent
- obstruct