restrain
Americanverb (used with object)
-
restrains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
restrained,
past participle, past
-
restraining
present participle
verb
-
to hold (someone) back from some action, esp by force
-
to deprive (someone) of liberty, as by imprisonment
-
to limit or restrict
Synonym Usage
See check 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
restrainabilitynoun
-
overrestrainverb (used with object)
-
prerestrainverb (used with object)
-
restrainableadjective
-
unrestrainableadjective
-
restraininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
restrainsimple
-
restrainssimple
-
have restrainedperfect
-
has restrainedperfect
-
am restrainingprogressive
-
are restrainingprogressive
-
is restrainingprogressive
-
have been restrainingperfect progressive
-
has been restrainingperfect progressive
Past
-
restrainedsimple
-
had restrainedperfect
-
was restrainingprogressive
-
were restrainingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Seedfolks
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 article views the litigation as a test of whether government institutions can still restrain concentrated private power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Before the 2023 study, Leng and colleagues had found that Menin helps restrain inflammation in the hypothalamus.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
It may turn out to be something closer to the opposite: a case study in how regulation ends up entrenching the companies it’s meant to restrain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Carmakers have responded by offering other incentives and trying to restrain price increases.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
I should tell him that his puffy winter coat makes his legs look even more like toothpicks, but I restrain myself.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Where other filmmakers would painstakingly elucidate every thematic detail to make their silly popcorn movie “say something,” Mitchell restrains himself.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Policymakers believe an interest rate of 3.75% restrains activity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
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
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
After the fight was over, doctors treated the injured, and one of the pilots was restrained, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Instead they must be restrained through policies and laws, she said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
The report says that "agents sometimes but rarely restrained their behavior due to ethical constraints".
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Lucas could probably fill an entire museum with what he’s stored from his six “Star Wars” features, but he’s restrained himself to one gallery and one theme: vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
By contrast, the public view of the progress of medicine during the same period is restrained, qualified, a mixture of hope and worry.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Circuit held an emergency hearing in a lawsuit filed by the news outlets, and at around midnight, Judge Kelly issued a temporary restraining order to stop the White House ban for 14 days.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026
He referred to himself as an “international arms dealer and mercenary,” the request for a restraining order said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
According to the New York Times’ reporting on the court records, the restraining order request, filed in Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville, sought to keep Seaver away from Parton’s properties and staff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
The company that manages Parton's businesses and properties, She's Alive, is seeking a temporary civil restraining order against him.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
I can tell my parents are restraining themselves from asking me what happened, where I’ve been.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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.
