restriction

American  

[ri-strik-shuhn] / rɪˈstrɪk ʃən /

noun

• restrictions
  plural

1. something that restricts; a restrictive condition or regulation; limitation.

   Synonyms:

   restraint, reservation, provision, rule

2. the act of restricting.

3. the state of being restricted.

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restriction British  

/ rɪˈstrɪkʃən /

noun

1. something that restricts; a restrictive measure, law, etc

2. the act of restricting or the state of being restricted

3. logic maths a condition that imposes a constraint on the possible values of a variable or on the domain of arguments of a function

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrestriction
  noun
• overrestriction
  noun
• prerestriction
  noun
• restrictionist
  noun
• self-restriction
  noun
• superrestriction
  noun
• prorestriction
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• restrictions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of restriction

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin restrictiōn-, stem of restrictiō; equivalent to restrict + -ion

Explanation

A restriction is a limitation or a restraint, like when a size restriction keeps you from jumping on a toddler trampoline and bouncing the smaller kids a mile up in the air. Usually a restriction is in place because a limit needs to be set. Common sense would keep you from putting a bowling ball in a paper bag; you wouldn’t need a restriction to tell you not to do it. Sometimes a restriction is the result of doing something bad or misusing a privilege, as when your parents put a restriction on video gaming to limit your time in front of the TV.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

restriction restrictions

A restriction that would draw constitutional scrutiny if government imposed it directly shouldn’t necessarily dodge that scrutiny because it arrived wrapped inside a consent judgment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

His decision, which blocks the Texas attorney general from enforcing the law, noted that the prohibition was “an unconstitutional restriction on speech.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

That raised the possibility that some of the biological benefits of calorie restriction might be reproduced without requiring people to lose weight.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

This restriction holds true even if the government’s own delay is the reason the lawsuit arrived so late.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

Because of her banning and her restriction to Johannes-burg, she needed police permission to come to court.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

It then broadened its restrictions on additional fertilizer varieties in March and halted most sulfuric-acid exports beginning in May.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Many parents across the US see the restrictions as helpful, but are still sceptical.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Because of this, studies of interactions between people and wildlife often rely on indirect measures such as urban development, agriculture or, during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether an area was subject to lockdown restrictions.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

A narrow focus on screen time or social media restrictions alone isn’t enough, Teachman said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Other than paying for bandwidth, which he bitterly resented, he was subject to no regulation, no taxes, no restrictions on his ability to say what he wished.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Related Words

• check
• condition
• constraint
• control
• curb
• limit
• regulation
• restraint
• rule
• stipulation
• stricture