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refrained

  • past participle
    of refrain.
    refrain
    verb (used without object)
    to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed byfrom ).
  • past tense form
    of refrain.
    refrain
    verb (used without object)
    to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed byfrom ).

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.

See Examples For:

The euro fell against the dollar after the ECB left interest rates unchanged, as expected, but refrained from any hints about further rate rises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Laura Ingraham and Jesse Watters chose not to preview or promote the speech in the two prime hours leading up to it, and Ingraham refrained from mentioning it on her Friday, Monday and Tuesday broadcasts.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Central banks refrained from aggressive tightening cycles amid economic growth, a trend which Matejka and his team do not see changing dramatically.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

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

If you refrained from pressing, you would probably have reversed that decision if the stakes had been $10,000 vs. $9,500.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos