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Interdict and interdiction are used for very serious prohibitions—more serious than, say, a professor telling the class that texting is forbidden during lectures. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, an interdict was a sentence imposed by the powerful Catholic Church forbidding a person or place, and sometimes even an entire country, from receiving church privileges or participating in church functions. Interdict now often means "cut off" in a physically forceful way as well; interdictions are usually targeted at either arms supplies or illegal drug shipments.
Examples of interdict in a Sentence
Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2026
The police dogs and their handlers also put on 59 public displays and demonstrations for groups throughout Lake County, and the dogs did eight sweeps at schools to help ensure safety and interdict drug use.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Their job was to board the trains going from Germany to Austria at random to interdict drugs, illicit money, and criminals.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for interdict
Cite this Entry
“Interdict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interdict. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
interdict
1 of 2 noun
interdict
2 of 2 verb
Medical Definition
interdict
noun
Legal Definition
interdict
1 of 2 noun
interdict
2 of 2 transitive verb
