refrain
verb (used without object)
to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed byfrom ).
had refrained
-
past perfectof refrain.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
But, unlike Hezbollah, which attacked Israel on March 2, three days after the U.S. and Israeli campaign on Iran, the Houthis had refrained from helping their ally, until Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Iran until Wednesday had refrained from attacking its neighbor Turkey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
But with hundreds of patients and medical personnel inside, it had refrained from entering.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
Lawyers for the family members praised the efforts of the Pentagon and the State Department to help evacuate their clients, and said they had refrained from commenting publicly until now to protect their clients’ safety.
From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2022
This time he had refrained from wearing any fake whiskers at all.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
