constriction
Americannoun
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the act of constricting.
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the state of being constricted; tightness or inward pressure.
- Synonyms:
- stricture, contraction, compression
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a constricted part.
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something that constricts.
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Phonetics. an articulated narrowing of the vocal tract that in consonants audibly obstructs the flow of air and in vowels defines an interconnection between or among resonance cavities.
noun
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a feeling of tightness in some part of the body, such as the chest
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the act of constricting or condition of being constricted
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something that is constricted
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genetics a localized narrow region of a chromosome, esp at the centromere
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of constriction
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin constrīctiōn- (stem of constrīctiō ), equivalent to Latin constrīct ( us ) ( see constrict) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A constriction is a tight squeeze. If you have asthma, you know that the constriction of the airways makes it hard to breathe. If you’re a snake, you know that the constriction of a mouse makes a good dinner. The word constriction comes from the Latin constringere for "compress," which is what constrictions do. If a hose is running and you squeeze it in the middle, that constriction cuts off the flow. A highway that goes from four lanes to one causes a constriction, or bottleneck. A constriction can also be a tight feeling in your body. If you’re afraid there’s a boa constrictor under your bed, you might feel a constriction in your chest.
Vocabulary lists containing constriction
Across Five Aprils
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Serafina and the Splintered Heart
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string, strict
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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.
Once activated, this process leads to airway constriction in people with asthma.
From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026
For almost five years, the entertainment industry has been beset, first by the pandemic, then by the writers’ and actors’ strikes and the constriction that followed.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2025
The introduction of Turner somewhat cushions that constriction, but more so by the sights of Ellis-Taylor’s remarkable Hattie.
From Salon • Dec. 13, 2024
The show unfurled with a model emerging from the shadows in a sinisterly twisted black laminated dress that seemed to swallow her hands whole — a striking image of constriction reappeared throughout the collection.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2024
Springing to my feet, I willed my breaths to keep coming against the sharp constriction in my throat.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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.
