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enjoin.

Verb
General
MEANING

1. To direct or urge someone authoritatively to do something.

2. To forbid an action through an authoritative court order.

Use it for

Words that belong together

  • enjoin silence
  • enjoin someone to act

On the page

The inscription enjoined silence on all who entered.
He enjoined the guards to leave the prisoners' possessions untouched.

Nearby words

Related words

Word forms
Base
enjoin
Past tense
enjoined
Past participle
enjoined
Present participle
enjoining
Full tense & aspect guide
Present
enjoin
Present continuous
am/is/are enjoining
Present perfect
have/has enjoined
Present perfect continuous
have/has been enjoining
Past
enjoined
Past continuous
was/were enjoining
Past perfect
had enjoined
Past perfect continuous
had been enjoining
Future
will enjoin
Future continuous
will be enjoining
Future perfect
will have enjoined
Future perfect continuous
will have been enjoining

Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: enjoin; enjoins; enjoined; enjoined; enjoining Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: enjoins.

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