constrain
Americanverb (used with object)
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constrains,
present (3rd person singular)
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constrained,
past participle, past
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constraining
present participle
verb
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to compel or force, esp by persuasion, circumstances, etc; oblige
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to restrain by or as if by force; confine
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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constrainernoun
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constrainableadjective
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nonconstrainingadjective
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unconstrainableadjective
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unconstrainingadjective
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constraininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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constrainsimple
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constrainssimple
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have constrainedperfect
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has constrainedperfect
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am constrainingprogressive
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are constrainingprogressive
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is constrainingprogressive
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have been constrainingperfect progressive
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has been constrainingperfect progressive
Past
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constrainedsimple
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had constrainedperfect
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was constrainingprogressive
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were constrainingprogressive
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had been constrainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of constrain
1275–1325; Middle English constrei ( g ) nen < Anglo-French, Middle French constrei ( g ) n- (stem of constreindre ) < Latin constringere. See con-, strain 1
Explanation
To constrain is to hold back, restrain, or confine. If you've ever had to constrain a toddler in the middle of a temper tantrum, you know you have to watch out for flailing limbs. The verb constrain comes from the Latin word constringere, which means to bind together or tie tightly. Constrain can imply both literal and figurative bindings. You can constrain someone by physically holding on to something like a person's shirt. Or, you can figuratively constrain someone by putting up obstacles. Your teenagers, for example, may feel constrained by your rules and accuse you of sucking the fun out of their social lives.
Vocabulary lists containing constrain
Just Mercy
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Excerpt from "The Declaration of Independence"
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The FCC said it is “working to constrain the outsized power of national programmers while empowering local TV stations to serve their licensed communities.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Nearly every social platform has taken steps to constrain the rapid growth of AI-generated content, primarily through automated labeling tools with uneven track records.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Moreover, the rapidly increasing equity supply expected over the coming quarters, alongside potentially tighter monetary policy, could constrain equity multiples,” the strategists said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
The overall thrust of the package, the Evercore analysts said, is to reduce regulatory barriers that constrain housing construction by streamlining environmental reviews and encouraging localities to adopt zoning and building-code best practices.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Few rules constrain the exercise of his or her discretion.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Logan stated the Federal Reserve’s current interest rate setting no longer constrains rising prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
The state’s limited refinery capacity makes it more vulnerable to crude price shocks, and its mandate for anti-smog gas formulations in the summer also constrains gas supplies, pushing prices higher.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
As a result, the idea that oxygen constrains insect size has not been completely ruled out.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2026
Barron’s: Your latest research on immigration focuses on what happens when constrains are put on the availability of skilled foreign workers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025
A striking example of Bloor’s inability to acknowledge that nature constrains science is to be found on p.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
A GM spokesman said it also has vehicles in short supply that have constrained sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
That’s mainly because global refining capacity for finished fuels is severely constrained by geopolitical conflicts and facility disruptions, even as crude supplies remain relatively stable.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
Because Bill Clinton, who was president when Roth IRAs were enacted in 1997, was wary of giving wealthy Americans a tax break they didn’t need, contribution limits also were constrained by family income.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Introducing Network Rail's new business plan, former chief executive Andrew Haines said that, given the constrained budget, funding would "need to go further than ever before".
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
And second, singing was becoming less constrained by the three- or four-part structure.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
"Ever since the 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-oki earthquake in Japan, we realized that the tsunami data had really valuable information for constraining shallow slip," said Melgar.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
Coming into the conflict, the ECB’s interest rate was at the level economists believe is neutral for the economy—neither constraining nor stimulating growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
“Put differently, physical shortages are constraining actual consumption, so what appears to be demand destruction is a supply loss showing up on the demand side of the ledger.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026
While healthcare spending has benefited the economy, population trends could also limit the pace of growth in coming years by constraining the labor pool, as Schmid said this past week.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
In this very weak sense, of course, mathematics is constraining, as is all reality, but it has no independent power to coerce.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
