1. Prohibit, forbid, or prevent from doing something
   "Contact between the young was inhibited by strict social customs"
    
2. (chemistry) limit, block, or decrease the action or function of
   "inhibit the action of the enzyme"; "inhibit the rate of a chemical reaction"
    
3. Consciously restrain from showing; of emotions, desires, impulses, or behaviour
   "She had to inhibit her anger during the meeting";
   - bottle up, suppress
    
4. Make (someone) self-conscious and as a result unable to act naturally
   "his father's cold and distant demeanour inhibited him emotionally"

Derived forms: inhibiting, inhibited, inhibits

Type of: discomfit, discompose, disconcert, entrammel [literary], fetter [literary], forbid, foreclose, forestall, hinder, hold back, impede, keep, keep back, preclude, prevent, restrain, trammel [literary], untune [rare], upset

Encyclopedia: Inhibit