inhibiting

present participle of inhibit
1
2
3
as in dissuading
to steer (a person) from an activity or course of action a fundamental sense of propriety should have inhibited you from making a drunken spectacle of yourself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inhibiting What's inside the box isn't inhibiting me. Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026 In animal studies, tirzepatide—the dual-receptor drug sold as Zepbound—appears to have target tumors in breast cancer and endometrial cancer, possibly by reversing the inflammatory effects of obesity and inhibiting tumor growth. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 8 June 2026 For example, states would often impose tariffs on each other’s goods, even if those goods were moving only from Virginia to Maryland and vice versa, thereby inhibiting the development of a national market and hamstringing internal trade. Jordan Cash, The Conversation, 8 June 2026 Mature dill plants can harm tomato plants by taking up soil nutrients and inhibiting tomato root growth. Felicia Feaster, Martha Stewart, 4 June 2026 This follows a series of antitrust victories against the NCAA and power conferences that have upended a system long inhibiting players’ abilities to fully benefit from the wealth their talents generated. Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 June 2026 In 2024, Carolyn Silverman and I wrote about how 82% of the American population has been sorted into states controlled by a single party, inhibiting political choice and eroding representative democracy. Mary Ellen Klas, Mercury News, 26 May 2026 Pre-emergent herbicides work by inhibiting root development immediately after a seed germinates. David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 11 May 2026 Throughout the day, adenosine gradually accumulates as a byproduct of brain activity, increasing feelings of sleepiness by inhibiting wake-promoting regions such as the basal forebrain. Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 5 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhibiting
Verb
  • Protests outside the gates have shown activists pummeling cars, impeding the exits and in some cases getting hurled out of the way after collisions with vehicles attempting to speed away from the violent activists.
    Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
  • Over the years, the number of cars parking near the bridge — often illegally, sometimes impeding emergency vehicles — has risen.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Verb
  • Different wines are intended to be stored over different time periods—some are meant to be consumed within months of bottling, while others may spend decades in a cellar—and controlling oxygen exposure is critical to preserving flavor and aroma.
    Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 19 June 2026
  • While scientists have been able to detect and study these emitters, controlling them has remained a major challenge.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • Pablo Andres Aguilera Mora, 46, is being held in the Santa Clara County Main Jail for criminal charges including murder, assault with a deadly weapon, dissuading a witness and contempt of court, according to court records.
    Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
  • Several recent papers suggest that the rent-control scheme might even be making the housing shortage worse in some places by causing landlords to take units off the rental market and dissuading developers from building.
    Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • Winds of up to 50 mph stoked the flames and severely limited the fire response by hampering boat and aircraft access to the remote island.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
  • The systematic dismantling of USAID has led to catastrophic humanitarian situations in Africa, including hampering the global response to the current Ebola outbreak.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • Anthropic employees have so far provided a $476,000 boost to Alex Bores, a New York assemblymember running for Congress who sponsored that state’s new law regulating AI.
    Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2026
  • Otherwise, Maryland risks regulating only the visible surface of healthcare AI while ignoring the far more consequential infrastructure underneath it.
    Sreedhar Potarazu, Baltimore Sun, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • Similarly, pro-Iran militias in Iran could continue attacks on Gulf nations, including oil ports, possibly discouraging some shipowners from sending tankers into the area, especially the northern Gulf.
    Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
  • Many Christians seek to keep a hostile world at bay by discouraging inquiry and critical thinking, by empowering theological enforcers, and by drawing narrow doctrinal boundaries.
    Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • This forced its social life underground, hindering community building.
    Peter Su, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
  • So the rule is hindering governments' efforts to expand access to electricity and meet climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • The Fed has been trying to balance its job of curbing inflation while supporting employment growth.
    Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
  • The league has taken steps to address tanking, but curbing that problem alone won’t stop injury issues that are just as much a part of the growing apathy that many fans feel towards the regular season.
    Nick Friedell, New York Times, 17 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Inhibiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhibiting. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.

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