verb
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to compel or force, esp by persuasion, circumstances, etc; oblige
-
to restrain by or as if by force; confine
Other Word Forms
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.
The new results constrain the form of these models and will direct future searches for them.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
But it warned that "if instability in the Middle East persists, rising costs, delays and limited transport capacity are likely to constrain humanitarian operations further."
From BBC • May 2, 2026
With negotiations reaching a standstill, the market is weighing the possibility of a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which could continue to physically constrain the global crude supply, he writes.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
The concentrated hard-disk drive market allows Western Digital and Seagate to constrain supply, raise prices, and secure long-term contracts.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
Such another small basin of thin gruel as his own was all that he could, with thorough self-approbation, recommend; though he might constrain himself, while the ladies were comfortably clearing the nicer things, to say:
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
