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:
"Weak gravitational lensing can constrain mass much further out, so you can get a better picture of the surrounding cluster area," said Finner.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
During the 2010s, many central banks fretted over low rates, which they worried would constrain their ability to cut rates during a crisis to boost growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
“You don’t want to get into a situation where you constrain your own products in the years to come because you were giving away the compute forever,” Johnsen added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
An inability to replicate Phase 2a efficacy signals would reduce rentosertib’s value, and even if efficacy is demonstrated, safety-driven dose modification could constrain commercial uptake, the analysts said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
For the Arguments to induce belief, though of sufficient certainty, yet do not so constrain the mind to give its assent, but there is prudence and choice in it.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
“The current debt overhang constrains external financing, limits public investment capacity and prevents full re-engagement with the international financial system,” the office of Venezuela’s vice presidency for the economy said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 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
Mark Joseph Stern: Because Congress did something that was long overdue—it wrote a statute that tightly constrains the executive branch.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 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
Rather than being primarily controlled by environmental conditions, crayfish growth may be constrained by the animals' own biology.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
In any case, subsidizing buyers will push up prices as long as supply remains constrained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
However, refined product flows remain largely constrained, with diesel supply balances very tight, said McNally.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
"However, our ability to achieve significant reductions in energy usage is constrained by the nature of our estate," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Though they may harness winds and currents, they are unable to control these natural forces, and are always constrained by their physical design.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
He added that “when people hand off tasks to agents, more calls and texts can be made as a person’s attention & time are no longer constraining factors.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
"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
But the Ukrainians are constraining this revenue source.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
As a result, bank balance sheets got clogged, constraining the financing prospects of future projects tied to Oracle and OpenAI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
It was clear that a way had to be found to capture the profits of laboratory discoveries without undermining academic standards or constraining scientific inquiry.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
