restrain
Americanverb (used with object)
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restrains,
present (3rd person singular)
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restrained,
past participle, past
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restraining
present participle
verb
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to hold (someone) back from some action, esp by force
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to deprive (someone) of liberty, as by imprisonment
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to limit or restrict
Synonym Usage
See check 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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restrainabilitynoun
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overrestrainverb (used with object)
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prerestrainverb (used with object)
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restrainableadjective
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unrestrainableadjective
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restraininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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restrainsimple
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restrainssimple
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have restrainedperfect
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has restrainedperfect
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am restrainingprogressive
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are restrainingprogressive
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is restrainingprogressive
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have been restrainingperfect progressive
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has been restrainingperfect progressive
Past
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restrainedsimple
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had restrainedperfect
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was restrainingprogressive
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were restrainingprogressive
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had been restrainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of restrain
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English restreynen, from Middle French restreindre, from Latin restringere “to bind back, bind fast”; equivalent to re- + strain 1
Explanation
Restrain means to hold yourself back, which is exactly what you'd have to do if, after weeks of dieting, you found yourself face to face with a dessert case filled with pies, cakes, and cookies. Restrain can also mean to restrict or hold back someone else, to prevent someone from doing what they're intending to do. Prison guards have to restrain a prisoner who is trying to attack one of his fellow inmates. That prisoner might even be put in handcuffs — a kind of restraint. You can restrain yourself, for example if you're watching a Broadway show and suddenly feel the urge to sing along. Your fellow audience members would be grateful for your restraint, especially if you've got a terrible voice.
Vocabulary lists containing restrain
List 10
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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:
In mice, they found that receptors on cells in the brain's main alert and stress center can act as biological brakes that restrain pain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
South Korea’s headline inflation moderated in July after reaching a 30-month high in June, as government measures partly helped restrain fuel and electricity prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Higher rates tend to depress economic growth and restrain inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
“I’m trying to restrain from a forecast of what’s going to happen, as opposed to just reading and reacting,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Together they managed to restrain and tie up nine of the skrewts, though at the cost of numerous burns and cuts; finally, only one skrewt was left.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Ultimately, the goal is growth that is less dependent on leverage combined with regulation that restrains excess without choking activity.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 8, 2026
More aggressive fine print restrains other follies like the bond portfolio mismatches that undid California-based Silicon Valley Bank two years ago, says Davide Oneglia, director of European and global macro at TS Lombard.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
The Bank of England should continue to set its key interest rate at a level that restrains economic activity in order to create the conditions for future growth, rate-setter Catherine L. Mann said Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
And it is not just fear, fear of standing alone, that restrains you; it is also genuine uncertainty….
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2025
This restrains male aggression and enables humans selectively to control the herd’s procreation.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
In March 2024, Wang tried to escape but was caught and restrained.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Investors were disappointed by the neobank’s restrained guidance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Discovery are “temporarily enjoined and restrained from closing or consummating the transaction or taking any steps, directly or indirectly, to integrate or consolidate their operations pursuant to the transaction.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
That’s the most restrained reading in 5½ years.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The meadowlarks sang like water, and the wild doves, concealed among the bursting leaves of the oaks, made a sound of restrained grieving.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
Most of the plaintiffs are basketball players, but Wright and Pyburn are two of 16 football players benefiting from the temporary restraining order granted by Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
West, who is barred from presenting herself as a parent, cannot visit the child because of a restraining order.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
ABC is asking the court for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt the FCC’s license renewal process and requested a hearing from the D.C.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
He initially issued a restraining order, followed by a more lengthy preliminary injunction that ordered Nexstar to halt its integration while the court case was pending.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
I’ve just finished my own stew and am barely restraining myself from licking the plate.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
