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injunction

noun
in·​junc·​tion | \ in-ˈjəŋ(k)-shən How to pronounce injunction (audio) \

Definition of injunction

1 : the act or an instance of enjoining : order, admonition
2 : a writ granted by a court of equity whereby one is required to do or to refrain from doing a specified act
Other Words from injunction Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about injunction

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Other Words from injunction

injunctive \ in-​ˈjəŋ(k)-​tiv How to pronounce injunctive (audio) \ adjective

Did You Know?

Injunction derives, via Anglo-French and Late Latin, from the Latin verb injungere, which in turn derives from jungere, meaning "to join." Like our verb enjoin, injungere means "to direct or impose by authoritative order or with urgent admonition." (Not surprisingly, enjoin is also a descendant of injungere.) Injunction has been around in English since at least the 15th century, when it began life as a word meaning "authoritative command." In the 16th century it developed a legal second sense applying to a court order. It has also been used as a synonym of conjunction, another jungere descendant meaning "union," but that sense is extremely rare.

Examples of injunction in a Sentence

The group has obtained an injunction to prevent the demolition of the building. in the cult there were injunctions for and against everything, as nothing was a matter of personal choice

Recent Examples on the Web

 Smith said of the preliminary injunction against Mandoyan. — Matt Stiles, Los Angeles Times, "Judge overturns Sheriff Villanueva’s rehiring of a fired L.A. County deputy," 19 Aug. 2019 Marshall said the injunction should only protect abortions on pre-viable fetuses, or fetuses that can’t survive outside of the womb. — al, "ACLU rejects Alabama AG’s abortion ban defense," 19 Aug. 2019 The injunction will likely help airport authorities prevent a repeat of Tuesday. — Joshua Berlinger, CNN, "Order returns to Hong Kong airport, but tensions linger," 14 Aug. 2019 If the preliminary injunction is rejected, construction will proceed. — Andrew Nicla, azcentral, "Arizona environmental group seeks injunction to halt construction of Trump's border wall," 6 Aug. 2019 Particularly, the injunction asserted that the new restrictions would make purchases more costly and time-consuming without having an impact on safety. — Vandana Ravikumar, USA TODAY, "Gun rights advocates sue over California's 'absurd' law requiring background checks for ammo sales," 25 July 2019 The injunction contends that long-distance travel does not broaden the mind, as commonly supposed, but putrefies the character by exposing it to impurity. — Alex Perry, Outside Online, "The Last Days of John Allen Chau," 24 July 2019 Tigar’s ruling carries more weight -- meaning that the administration will need to persuade him or an appeals court to put the injunction on hold if wants to resume enforcing the asylum restriction. — Fortune, "Trump’s Asylum Seeker Restriction Blocked by Federal Judge," 24 July 2019 The injunction was picked up by more people and turned into a chant, causing the President to pause in his litany: Send her back! — Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, "From “Lock Her Up” to “Send Her Back”: Trump in North Carolina," 18 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'injunction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of injunction

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for injunction

Middle English injunccion, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French enjunxion, from Late Latin injunction-, injunctio, from Latin injungere to enjoin — more at enjoin

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More Definitions for injunction

injunction

noun

Financial Definition of injunction

What It Is

An injunction is a court order that requires a party to stop doing certain things.

How It Works

In the business world, injunctions sometimes involve intellectual property. Let's say that Company XYZ is a restaurant company. It has trademarked its name ("Donuts and Company") and has decorated all of its restaurants in the same, distinct way (striped awnings in front of the stores, special light fixtures, and a particular color scheme inside the restaurants). The company is doing well and opening a lot of restaurants around the country.

Jane Smith visits a Donuts and Company store one day while she is vacationing in Miami. She thinks her small town in Arizona could use a restaurant like Donuts and Company. Instead of becoming a franchisee, she starts a knock-off. She leases a site in Arizona, puts together a very similar menu, and decorates her "Donuts and Friends" restaurant with the same colors and distinctive awning outside.

One day, Donuts and Company catches wind of Jane's venture. They send an executive out to her restaurant to take pictures and collect evidence of Jane's efforts to imitate Donuts and Company. Then they sue Jane for trademark infringement. The judge issues an injunction, ordering Jane to stop selling food under the "Donuts and Friends" name, to change her trade dress (decorative appearance), and to stop using the Donuts and Company menu.

Some injunctions are preliminary injunctions, which means that a party is prohibited from doing something until the court has made a further decision. That further decision may involve issuing a permanent injunction, which forbids a party from doing something indefinitely or until certain conditions are met. Restraining orders are a kind of injunction.

Why It Matters

Injunctions are an alternative to monetary judgments, in which the court might order a party to pay damages to another party. In some cases, they are much better for defendants to deal with; in Jane's case, the monetary damages could have come with a much higher cost if Donuts and Company alleged that it lost business in Arizona due to Jane's knock-off. In some cases, they are better for plaintiffs as well.

Source: Investing Answers

injunction

noun
How to pronounce injunction (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of injunction

law : an order from a court of law that says something must be done or must not be done

See the full definition for injunction in the English Language Learners Dictionary

injunction

noun
in·​junc·​tion | \ in-ˈjəŋk-shən How to pronounce injunction (audio) \

Kids Definition of injunction

: a court order commanding or forbidding the doing of some act

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injunction

noun
in·​junc·​tion | \ in-ˈjəŋk-shən How to pronounce injunction (audio) \

Legal Definition of injunction

: an equitable remedy in the form of a court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing a specified act