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constrain

[ kuhn-streyn ]
/ kənˈstreɪn /
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See synonyms for: constrain / constrained / constraining on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
to force, compel, or oblige: He was constrained to admit the offense.
to confine forcibly, as by bonds.
to repress or restrain: Cold weather constrained the plant's growth.
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Origin of constrain

1275–1325; Middle English constrei(g)nen<Anglo-French, Middle French constrei(g)n- (stem of constreindre) <Latin constringere.See con-, strain1

OTHER WORDS FROM constrain

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH constrain

coerce, compel, constrain , force, oblige
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use constrain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for constrain

constrain
/ (kənˈstreɪn) /

verb (tr)
to compel or force, esp by persuasion, circumstances, etc; oblige
to restrain by or as if by force; confine

Derived forms of constrain

constrainer, noun

Word Origin for constrain

C14: from Old French constreindre, from Latin constringere to bind together, from stringere to bind
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
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