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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

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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