constraint
Americannoun
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limitation or restriction.
- Synonyms:
- pressure, obligation, force
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repression of natural feelings and impulses.
to practice constraint.
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unnatural restraint in manner, conversation, etc.; embarrassment.
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something that constrains.
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the act of constraining.
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the condition of being constrained.
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Linguistics. a restriction on the operation of a linguistic rule or the occurrence of a linguistic construction.
noun
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compulsion, force, or restraint
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repression or control of natural feelings or impulses
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a forced unnatural manner; inhibition
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something that serves to constrain; restrictive condition
social constraints kept him silent
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linguistics any very general restriction on a sentence formation rule
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of constraint
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English constreinte, from Middle French, noun use of feminine past participle of constreindre “to constrain”; see constrain
Explanation
A constraint is a limit or restriction. Hopefully your school won't cut the sports or music programs due to budget constraints! You might notice that constraint is similar to the verb constrict, as in boa constrictor. A constraint tightens around you like a snake and prevents you from doing what you want. Financial constraints prevent you from buying the latest electronic device. Are you tired of living under the constraint of your parents' rules? Sometimes your worries or feelings act as a constraint. You know that someone has become a close friend when you can talk to them without constraint.
Vocabulary lists containing constraint
Night
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Unbroken
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And Then There Were None
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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.
It also demonstrates that transmission is a constraint that can be addressed.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Really, the constraint on Chinese growth is chronic malinvestment of the country’s savings, which are diverted toward export-manufacturing industries and low-productivity state-owned enterprises rather than toward investment in domestic services and the like.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
He dismisses regulation as a constraint on US competitiveness with China, even as more and more Americans come out angrily against AI and the huge energy-consuming data centers needed to power it.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
It means recognizing that the right response to a geopolitical supply constraint is not necessarily to crush demand.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
Judith took John’s arm confidingly, still carried quite beyond constraint on her wave of happiness.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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.
