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forbid

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God forbid!

 and Heaven forbid!

a phrase expressing the desire that God would forbid the situation that the speaker has just mentioned from ever happening. Tom: It looks like taxes are going up again. Bob: God forbid! Bob: Bill was in a car wreck. I hope he wasn't hurt! Sue: God forbid!

See also: god

God forbid

I hope it does not happen heaven forbid If, God forbid, anything should happen to him I might not want to stay here.

Usage notes: also used to suggest that someone would never do something: God forbid they should help someone who isn't paying them for help.

See also: forbid, god

heaven forbid

I hope it does not happen God forbid If he ever - heaven forbid - has to go through anything like that again, at least he'll know what to do.

Usage notes: also used to suggest that others oppose the reasonable thing being mentioned: It's OK to prevent tooth decay, but heaven forbid that we try to prevent people from becoming addicted to drugs.

See also: forbid, heaven

God forbid

Also, heaven forbid. May God prevent something from happening or being the case. For example, God forbid that they actually encounter a bear, or Heaven forbid that the tornado pulls off the roof. This term, in which heaven also stands for "God," does not necessarily imply a belief in God's direct intervention but merely expresses a strong wish. [c. 1225] For a synonym, see perish the thought.

See also: forbid, god