restriction

American  

[ri-strik-shuhn] / rɪˈstrɪk ʃən /

noun

• restrictions
  plural

1. something that restricts; a restrictive condition or regulation; limitation.

   Synonyms:

   restraint, reservation, provision, rule

2. the act of restricting.

3. the state of being restricted.

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restriction British  

/ rɪˈstrɪkʃən /

noun

1. something that restricts; a restrictive measure, law, etc

2. the act of restricting or the state of being restricted

3. logic maths a condition that imposes a constraint on the possible values of a variable or on the domain of arguments of a function

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrestriction
  noun
• overrestriction
  noun
• prerestriction
  noun
• restrictionist
  noun
• self-restriction
  noun
• superrestriction
  noun
• prorestriction
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• restrictions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of restriction

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin restrictiōn-, stem of restrictiō; equivalent to restrict + -ion

Explanation

A restriction is a limitation or a restraint, like when a size restriction keeps you from jumping on a toddler trampoline and bouncing the smaller kids a mile up in the air. Usually a restriction is in place because a limit needs to be set. Common sense would keep you from putting a bowling ball in a paper bag; you wouldn’t need a restriction to tell you not to do it. Sometimes a restriction is the result of doing something bad or misusing a privilege, as when your parents put a restriction on video gaming to limit your time in front of the TV.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

restriction restrictions

One restriction: A QCD cannot go to a donor-advised fund or a private foundation.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

It really helped for me to feel the restriction of the world to understand what Agnes’ mind is, and getting to see that from the outside and then getting to step into it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The restriction effectively stops Apple from ordering custom chips from CXMT.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

In fact, more than 30 countries practise automatic "jus soli" and without restriction in almost all cases.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

When I first heard of this new restriction, I felt a brief sense of freedom.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

So Clarett brought an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, aiming to enter the league earlier than their age restrictions allow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

BAE Systems is set to pay $36 million for violating U.S. export restrictions on military technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

But the restrictions impact almost every part of their lives and make it difficult to tell their stories.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

In the United States, however, a panel recommended loosening restrictions on a range of peptides last month.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

That had been during the early days when I had felt strong restrictions and resented Emma's boldness and her opinion that I should have been blacker to play my role of Harlem leader.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Related Words

• check
• condition
• constraint
• control
• curb
• limit
• regulation
• restraint
• rule
• stipulation
• stricture