restrain

[ ri-streyn ]
See synonyms for: restrainre-strainedre-strainingre-strains on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to hold back from action; keep in check or under control; repress: to restrain one's temper.

  2. to deprive of liberty, as by arrest or the like.

  1. to limit or hamper the activity, growth, or effect of: to restrain trade with Cuba.

Origin of restrain

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English restreynen, from Middle French restreindre, from Latin restringere “to bind back, bind fast”; equivalent to re- + strain1

synonym study For restrain

1. See check1.

Other words for restrain

Opposites for restrain

Other words from restrain

  • re·strain·a·ble, adjective
  • re·strain·a·bil·i·ty, noun
  • re·strain·ing·ly, adverb
  • o·ver·re·strain, verb (used with object)
  • pre·re·strain, verb (used with object)
  • un·re·strain·a·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with restrain

Words Nearby restrain

Other definitions for re-strain (2 of 2)

re-strain
[ ree-streyn ]

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to strain again.

Origin of re-strain

2
First recorded in 1870–75; re- + strain1

Words that may be confused with re-strain

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

How to use restrain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for restrain

restrain

/ (rɪˈstreɪn) /


verb(tr)
  1. to hold (someone) back from some action, esp by force

  2. to deprive (someone) of liberty, as by imprisonment

  1. to limit or restrict

Origin of restrain

1
C14 restreyne, from Old French restreindre, from Latin rēstringere to draw back tightly, from re- + stringere to draw, bind; see strain 1

Derived forms of restrain

  • restrainable, adjective

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