refrain

¹

[ri-freyn]

verb (used without object)

1. to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed byfrom ).

   I refrained from telling him what I thought.

   Synonyms: desist, forbear

verb (used with object)

1. Archaic.,  to curb.

refrain

²

[ri-freyn]

noun

1. a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a song or poem, especially at the end of each stanza; chorus.

2. Music.

   1. a musical setting for the refrain of a poem.

   2. any melody.

   3. the principal, recurrent section of a rondo.

3. an often heard statement, opinion, etc..

   Today’s technology haters have a common refrain—robots are bad for society.

4. a frequently occurring situation or series of events.

   The game followed a familiar refrain: a strong first quarter start that eventually fizzles out.

refrain

¹

/ rɪˈfreɪn /

verb

1. to abstain (from action); forbear

refrain

²

/ rɪˈfreɪn /

noun

1. a regularly recurring melody, such as the chorus of a song

2. a much repeated saying or idea

refrain

1. In some pieces of verse, a set of words repeated at the end of each stanza.

Other Word Forms

• refrainer noun
• refrainment noun
• unrefrained adjective
• unrefraining adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of refrain¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English refreinen, from Old French refre(i)ner, from Latin refrēnāre “to bridle,” derivative of re- re- + frēn(um) “bridle”

Origin of refrain²

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, Middle French refreyne, from Old French refrain, derivative of refraindre “to break sequence” from Vulgar Latin refrangere (unattested) for Latin refringere “to refract ”

Word History and Origins

Origin of refrain¹

C14: from Latin refrēnāre to check with a bridle, from _re- + frēnum a bridle

Origin of refrain²

C14: via Old French, ultimately from Latin refringere to break into pieces

Example Sentences

In coastal communities around the country, the refrain is the same: private charity can’t replace public infrastructure.

Read more on Salon

On being told of Tilly’s existence by an interviewer for Variety, “Please stop,” she insisted, while demanding that mainline studios and talent agencies refrain from trafficking with AI actresses.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A common refrain among stock-market technicians is that the longer the benchmark indexes hold above the widely watched 50-day MA, the more bullish the market conditions would be for investors.

Read more on MarketWatch

Its anti-misogyny message—the refrain exhorts listeners to “think about it / do something about it”—was important to the couple.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But the EU has so far refrained from reprisals.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abstain 
• avoid 
• cease 
• curb 
• desist 
• forgo 
• halt 
• renounce 
• resist 
• restrain