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constrict

[ kuhn-strikt ]
/ kənˈstrɪkt /
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See synonyms for: constrict / constricted / constricting on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to draw or press in; cause to contract or shrink; compress.
to slow or stop the natural course or development of: Greed and aggressiveness constricted the nation's cultural life.
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Origin of constrict

1375–1425 for earlier past participle sense; 1725–35 for current senses; late Middle English <Latin constrīctus (past participle of constringere to draw together, tie up), equivalent to con-con- + strīc- (variant stem of stringere to tie; see strict) + -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM constrict

non·con·strict·ed, adjectivenon·con·strict·ing, adjectiveun·con·strict·ed, adjectivewell-con·strict·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to constrict

circumscribe, compress, cramp, astringe, choke, clench, concentrate, condense, confine, constringe, contract, curb, limit, narrow, pinch, restrain, restrict, shrink, squeeze, strangle

How to use constrict in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for constrict

constrict
/ (kənˈstrɪkt) /
verb (tr)
to make smaller or narrower, esp by contracting at one place
to hold in or inhibit; limit

Word Origin for constrict

C18: from Latin constrictus compressed, from constringere to tie up together; see constrain
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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