verb
-
to compel or force, esp by persuasion, circumstances, etc; oblige
-
to restrain by or as if by force; confine
Other Word Forms
- constrainable adjective
- constrainer noun
- constrainingly adverb
- nonconstraining adjective
- unconstrainable adjective
- unconstraining adjective
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
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 First Amendment and decades of precedent constrain executive agencies.
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026
Presidents have a freer hand to craft policy on the global stage, with lawmakers and courts less empowered to constrain them.
From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026
Saudi Arabia is starting to shift crude exports to its Red Sea hub at Yanbu as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz constrain Gulf shipments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
"A prolonged disruption... would begin to erode inventories, constrain logistics and tighten global oil and gas balances, with much greater effects on prices."
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
The term ‘relativism’ is contentious, but I use it, rather than ‘constructivism’, because I want to refer to those who hold that reality does not constrain the beliefs we can hold about the real world.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
