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

While most of the companies targeted for the tech visa restriction were Indian, Vance called out Microsoft.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Superconductivity gets around this restriction through a more complicated process involving pairs of electrons.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

Bluetongue was first detected on farms in south-west Scotland in August and there have now been more than 100 infected animals in 41 locations, including four outside the original restriction zone .

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

The issue was revived in August when the High Court quashed the commission's latest restriction because of procedural failings, without ruling that the Order had a right to march along Garvaghy Road.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

A second restriction on the size of highland populations was the limited available area: the New Guinea highlands have only a few broad valleys, notably the Wahgi and Baliem Valleys, capable of supporting dense populations.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Two weeks ago, the Parades Commission issued a determination saying that the Orange Order parade was to be allowed on the Garvaghy Road with restrictions in place.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Sir Keir Starmer's government had been exploring possible restrictions on non-compete clauses since late last year, including a total ban, banning them above a certain salary threshold, or limiting how long they can last.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

And unexpected weight restrictions can crop up due to weather, runway changes or fuel requirements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Even when local law enforcement is working with election officials, officers are subject to the same voter intimidation restrictions as anybody else, Diaz said.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

I didn’t even mind his coming back and shouting restrictions at me and making me perform rituals.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

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