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.

For years, the U.S. refrained from investigating sitting politicians in its fight against drug trafficking, preferring to target cartel leaders.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

But Ueda on Wednesday refrained from giving any hints on the timing of the bank’s next move.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Although the budget documents note the potential for gains from SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI, each of which have a significant labor force in the state, the government refrained from estimating the impact.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

As she has in the build-up to the fight, Rousey refrained from showing the competitive edge she displayed during her early MMA career and praised Carano.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

It also occurred to me how lucky I was to have Baba as my father, the sole reason, I believe, Assef had mostly refrained from harassing me too much.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini