How to Use inhibit in a Sentence

inhibit

verb
  • You shouldn't allow fear of failure to inhibit you.
  • Strict laws are inhibiting economic growth.
  • He was inhibited by modesty.
  • Fear can inhibit people from expressing their opinions.
  • Some sections are used to test what inhibits plant growth.
    — Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
  • These can both inhibit the rise.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 3 Dec. 2025
  • Some species inhibit the growth of other plants.
    — Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
  • But is what seems like a harmless habit inhibiting you from doing your best work?
    — Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Mar. 2025
  • What's inside the box isn't inhibiting me.
    — Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
  • Drugs could inhibit some of the cytokines by binding to them.
    — Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 23 June 2020
  • Others may have a lot of ear hair or use hearing aids, both of which can inhibit this process.
    — Korin Miller, SELF, 24 June 2022
  • Avoid plants that attract the same pests and diseases and any that may inhibit tomato growth.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 29 June 2025
  • He was born with his feet pointed inward, which inhibited him in sports.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2025
  • With kids who are actors, there’s a level of nervousness that inhibits them a bit.
    — Holly Jones, Variety, 25 Aug. 2023
  • Is there something in loquat leaves that would inhibit growth of the jasmine?
    — Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Apr. 2021
  • The fact that there are no photographs and no newsreels can’t inhibit us.
    — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 18 Nov. 2025
  • With enough snow and sleet, the salt is diluted and cannot inhibit freezing.
    — Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The mounds inhibit oxygen exchange and expose the trunk to rot, pests and pathogens.
    — cleveland, 15 Apr. 2021
  • Sunlight helps dry dew or rain off the leaves quickly, and can inhibit the growth of powdery mildew.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 July 2025
  • This, in turn, likely has helped inhibit the wintertime growth of the ice.
    — Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
  • Looking for wedding shoes that feel special and luxe, but won’t inhibit your right to break it down on the dance floor?
    — refinery29.com, 5 June 2018
  • Very few storms reach this point due to inhibiting factors such as strong winds in the upper atmosphere.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
  • However, when dill matures and is ready to seed, the herbs can inhibit tomato plant growth.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 2 May 2024
  • The venom in their fangs inhibits the swimming and breathing abilities of their prey.
    — Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The idea is that any amount of fat will inhibit the whites from whipping properly, and egg yolks are mostly fat.
    — Martha Holmberg, Twin Cities, 5 June 2019
  • At that stage, larvae inhibit the flow of nutrients beneath the bark, killing the tree.
    — Lee Bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 June 2018
  • When something starts to inhibit your growth or starts pulling you away from your core strengths, don’t be afraid to seek external help.
    — Brett Beveridge, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • And some of it comes over the Ethiopian Plateau and inhibits the rainfall over the Nile.
    — Quanta Magazine, 10 July 2025
  • Or the kite maker might have attached the string in a way that inhibits the kite’s ability to catch air pressure and rise.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2026
  • In lab studies, lignans from flaxseed inhibited the growth of tumor cells.
    — Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 27 Aug. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inhibit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: