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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To direct or impose with authority and emphasis.
  2. v. To prohibit or forbid. See Synonyms at forbid.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To join; unite.
  2. To lay upon, as an order or command; put an injunction upon; order or direct with urgency; admonish or instruct with authority; command.
  3. In law, to prohibit or restrain by a judicial order called an injunction: used absolutely of a thing, or with from of a person: as, the court enjoined the prosecution of the work; the defendant was enjoined from proceeding.
  4. To lay as an injunction; enforce by way of order or command: as, I enjoin it on you not to disappoint me; he enjoined upon them the strictest obedience.
  5. Synonyms Enjoin, Direct, Command; to bid, require, urge, impress upon. Johnson says enjoin is more authoritative than direct and less imperious than command. It has the force of pressing admonition with authority; as, a parent enjoins on his children the duty of obedience. But it has also the sense of command: as, the duties enjoined by God in the moral law.

Wiktionary

  1. v. To lay upon, as an order or command; to give an injunction to; to direct with authority; to order; to charge.
  2. v. To prohibit or restrain by a judicial order or decree; to put an injunction on.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To lay upon, as an order or command; to give an injunction to; to direct with authority; to order; to charge.
  2. v. To prohibit or restrain by a judicial order or decree; to put an injunction on.
  3. v. To join or unite.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
  2. v. issue an injunction

Etymologies

  1. Middle English enjoinen, from Old French enjoindre, from Latin iniungere : in-, causative pref.; see en-1 + iungere, to join; see yeug- in Indo-European roots.

Examples

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Lists

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  • oroboros Direct or impose v. prohibit or forbid. May 23, 2008

‘enjoin’ has been looked up 1806 times, loved by 2 people, added to 31 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 13.