verb
-
to compel or force, esp by persuasion, circumstances, etc; oblige
-
to restrain by or as if by force; confine
Other Word Forms
- constrainable adjective
- constrainer noun
- constrainingly adverb
- nonconstraining adjective
- unconstrainable adjective
- unconstraining adjective
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
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.
The First Amendment and decades of precedent constrain executive agencies.
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026
Presidents have a freer hand to craft policy on the global stage, with lawmakers and courts less empowered to constrain them.
From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026
“The staggered nature of the Board limits how much change we can affect in one year, but we do not think the Board should constrain itself on refreshment.”
From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026
"In principle, I think that this is not an epoch in which you expect to find many of these objects. It helps to constrain the timescales of bar formation. And it's just really interesting."
From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2026
“I’ve got it all worked out,” Dobbs whispered, gripping the side of Orr’s cot with white-knuckled hands to constrain them from waving.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
