restrain
Americanverb
-
to hold (someone) back from some action, esp by force
-
to deprive (someone) of liberty, as by imprisonment
-
to limit or restrict
Related Words
See check 1.
Other Word Forms
- overrestrain verb (used with object)
- prerestrain verb (used with object)
- restrainability noun
- restrainable adjective
- restrainingly adverb
- unrestrainable adjective
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
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.
He cited a longstanding law that prohibits suits against the government that seek to restrain or block tax collection and assessment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
That's a struggle many businesses share, with Ukraine's central bank saying recently that "The difficult situation in the energy sector will continue to restrain business activity for a long time".
From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026
Barron’s Live: Matt McLennan and his First Eagle colleagues started the year highlighting the risks of America’s twin deficits, hyperscaler spending, and “geopolitical disequilibrium”—all forces that continue to restrain the U.S. stock market.
From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026
“The colonel was always trying to restrain him from speaking.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
Walter had to restrain Daddy, and Henry, the boldest of the brothers, backed off and apologized.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
