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restrain

[ ri-streyn ]
/ rɪˈstreɪn /
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See synonyms for: restrain / re-strained / re-straining / re-strains on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to hold back from action; keep in check or under control; repress: to restrain one's temper.
to deprive of liberty, as by arrest or the like.
to limit or hamper the activity, growth, or effect of: to restrain trade with Cuba.
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Origin of restrain

1350–1400; Middle English restreynen<Middle French restreindre<Latin restringere to bind back, bind fast, equivalent to re-re- + stringere to draw together; see strain1

synonym study for restrain

1. See check1.

OTHER WORDS FROM restrain

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH restrain

1. refrain, restrain 2. re-strain, restrain

Words nearby restrain

restorative, restorative justice, restore, restoring spring, restr., restrain, restrained, restrainer, restraining order, restraint, restraint of trade

Other definitions for restrain (2 of 2)

re-strain
[ ree-streyn ]
/ riˈstreɪn /
verb (used with or without object)
to strain again.

Origin of re-strain

First recorded in 1870–75; re- + strain1

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH re-strain

re-strain , restrain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to restrain

confine, constrain, curb, curtail, detain, deter, govern, hamper, hinder, inhibit, keep down, kill, limit, prevent, repress, restrict, subdue, suppress, arrest, bind

How to use restrain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for restrain

restrain
/ (rɪˈstreɪn) /
verb (tr)
to hold (someone) back from some action, esp by force
to deprive (someone) of liberty, as by imprisonment
to limit or restrict

Derived forms of restrain

restrainable, adjective

Word Origin for restrain

C14 restreyne, from Old French restreindre, from Latin rēstringere to draw back tightly, from re- + stringere to draw, bind; see strain 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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