constrain
verb (used with object)
to force, compel, or oblige.
is constraining
-
present progressiveof constrain (3rd person singular).present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
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 spending scrutiny is constraining Altman’s once-boundless ambitions ahead of a potential initial public offering that could take place by the end of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
The higher-priced carrier has been challenged by rising competition from peers and inflation that is constraining consumers.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
"The risk of intervention is clearly high and that is constraining dollar-yen which would otherwise be higher," said Adam Cole, chief currency strategist at RBC.
From Reuters ● Oct. 13, 2023
If Dylan Hernández is correct in his theory that Los Angeles is constraining their spending in order to secure Shohei Ohtani a year from now, good luck with that one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2022
In this very weak sense, of course, mathematics is constraining, as is all reality, but it has no independent power to coerce.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
