restraint
Americannoun
-
restraints
plural
-
a restraining action or influence.
freedom from restraint.
-
Sometimes restraints. a means of or device for restraining, as a harness for the body.
-
the act of restraining, holding back, controlling, or checking.
-
the state or fact of being restrained; deprivation of liberty; confinement.
- Synonyms:
- incarceration, imprisonment, restriction, circumscription
- Antonyms:
- liberty
-
constraint or reserve in feelings, behavior, etc.
noun
-
the ability to control or moderate one's impulses, passions, etc
to show restraint
-
the act of restraining or the state of being restrained
-
something that restrains; restriction
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of restraint
1350–1400; Middle English restreinte < Middle French restrainte, noun use of feminine past participle of restraindre to restrain
Explanation
Restraint is the act of holding something back. For example, if you exercise restraint over your emotions, you won't burst out into tears in public. As you may have guessed from its similar spelling, the word restraint comes from the verb restrain, which in turn comes from the Latin word restringere, meaning "draw back tightly, confine, check." When talking about an object, a restraint is a device used to maintain control of something. For example, if your leg is operated on, the doctors will use a restraint to hold it still.
Vocabulary lists containing restraint
Theodore Roosevelt on "New Nationalism" (1910)
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Excerpts from "Jacobson v. Massachusetts"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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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:
Though he will be annoyed to get out misjudging the length of spinner Usman Ali as Brook did, Jordan Cox batted with similar restraint and class for his 73.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the restraint law in July 2020, making officers’ use of a chokehold or chest compression a misdemeanor crime punishable by up to a year in prison.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Such restraint today seems as quaint as poodle skirts and “I Love Lucy.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Her restraint is the commendable trait on which the women hang their devotion.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
Men coming to his blacksmith shop to talk and listen dropped their cursing for a while, not from any kind of restraint but automatically, as though this were not the place for it.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
If universities believe limits on athlete compensation are necessary, the answer should look like the system used elsewhere in American sports: negotiate those restraints with the people affected by them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Dr Amy Grubb, associate professor of forensic psychology at the University, said posting comments online creates the "perfect storm" for abuse as the "digital environments reduce normal social restraints".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Specificity is key, because AI recommendations are going to be more targeted if there are more restraints in the prompt.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
Roberts said he did not believe that whatever restraints the Dodgers might put on Yamamoto would spoil his chances for the Cy Young award, if his performance otherwise warrants it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
I wasn’t sure of its purpose until he lurched forward, drawing his restraints tight, and vomited into the mask.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
