refrain

1
[ ri-freyn ]
See synonyms for: refrainrefrainedrefrainingrefrainment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed by from): I refrained from telling him what I thought.

verb (used with object)
  1. Archaic. to curb.

Origin of refrain

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English refreinen, from Old French refre(i)ner, from Latin refrēnāre “to bridle,” derivative of re- re- + frēn(um) “bridle”

Other words for refrain

Other words from refrain

  • re·frain·er, noun
  • re·frain·ment, noun
  • un·re·frained, adjective
  • un·re·frain·ing, adjective

Words that may be confused with refrain

Other definitions for refrain (2 of 2)

refrain2
[ ri-freyn ]

noun
  1. a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a song or poem, especially at the end of each stanza; chorus.

  2. Music.

    • a musical setting for the refrain of a poem.

    • any melody.

    • the principal, recurrent section of a rondo.

  1. an often heard statement, opinion, etc.: Today’s technology haters have a common refrain—robots are bad for society.

  2. a frequently occurring situation or series of events:The game followed a familiar refrain: a strong first quarter start that eventually fizzles out.

Origin of refrain

2
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, Middle French refreyne, from Old French refrain, derivative of refraindre “to break sequence” from Vulgar Latin refrangere (unattested) for Latin refringere “to refract

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use refrain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for refrain (1 of 2)

refrain1

/ (rɪˈfreɪn) /


verb
  1. (intr usually foll by from) to abstain (from action); forbear

Origin of refrain

1
C14: from Latin refrēnāre to check with a bridle, from re- + frēnum a bridle

Derived forms of refrain

  • refrainer, noun
  • refrainment, noun

British Dictionary definitions for refrain (2 of 2)

refrain2

/ (rɪˈfreɪn) /


noun
  1. a regularly recurring melody, such as the chorus of a song

  2. a much repeated saying or idea

Origin of refrain

2
C14: via Old French, ultimately from Latin refringere to break into pieces

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for refrain

refrain

In some pieces of verse, a set of words repeated at the end of each stanza.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.