restrict
Americanverb (used with object)
-
restricts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
restricted,
past participle, past
-
restricting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
restricternoun
-
restrictornoun
-
derestrictverb (used with object)
-
overrestrictverb (used with object)
-
prerestrictverb (used with object)
-
nonrestrictingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
restrictsimple
-
restrictssimple
-
have restrictedperfect
-
has restrictedperfect
-
am restrictingprogressive
-
are restrictingprogressive
-
is restrictingprogressive
-
have been restrictingperfect progressive
-
has been restrictingperfect progressive
Past
-
restrictedsimple
-
had restrictedperfect
-
was restrictingprogressive
-
were restrictingprogressive
-
had been restrictingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of restrict
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin restrictus “drawn back, tightened, bound, reserved,” adjective use of past participle of restringere “to bind back, bind fast”; see restrain
Explanation
To restrict is to limit. If you want to eat more healthily, you might restrict, or limit, yourself to eating only foods containing fruits and vegetables –- like carrot cake and apple pie. You'll often encounter different words related to restrict. A restriction is a law or rule, like the restriction against driving a car without a license. Something that is not permitted is restricted, and this word is often used to designate physical locations that are off limits to the public. You'll often see characters in movies break into restricted areas to obtain secret information.
Vocabulary lists containing restrict
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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!
List 9
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!
"Too Young to Drive?" and "Rules of the Road"
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:
Later that day, Asos said it took immediate action to restrict the apparent hackers' access, was investigating and working with advisers and relevant authorities on "next steps".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Polymarket partners with IC360, an integrity monitoring group that tracks problematic trading behavior and offers self-exclusion tools that allow users to voluntarily restrict or withdraw their accounts.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Oil and diesel fuel prices fell after the Group of Seven agreed to release crude oil and fuel from their emergency stocks and not to restrict oil exports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
“It was not going to restrict it from being able to do all kinds of things,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
The smoke had become thicker and with each new blow it seemed to sear and further restrict my lungs.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
“If it restricts exports, global diesel prices could simply spike,” she wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
The Bass campaign’s decision came after The Times questioned whether the donations might run afoul of a city law that restricts campaign contributions by city contractors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
That included designating Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, which restricts foreign direct investment, global trade and access to the world’s financial system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
According to local media reports officials argue that this unfairly equates the recognised national military with a paramilitary force and restricts its ability to defend citizens against an insurgency.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
“I shudder to think what that means. But perhaps it will limit Kronos’s power. For a time, at least, he is confined to a human form. It binds him together. Hopefully it also restricts him.”
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
As a recipient of funding under the Chips and Science Act, the memory-chip maker’s stock repurchases have been restricted over the past two years, but those limitations will ease in December.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The monitoring of and restricted access to devices instead should come through negotiation, even when you are dealing with someone who is very recalcitrant.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Access to AI should be restricted based on the capabilities available to the user.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
But those reduced-capability models were later restricted too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The intended restricted uses of early writing provided a positive disincentive for devising less ambiguous writing systems.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Family dynamics run deep, and sorting through the complications involved in restricting a connection to the outside world or keeping tabs on an older person will look different for every household.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The UN Human Rights Council on Monday unanimously urged the Taliban to repeal all practices restricting the fundamental freedoms of women and girls, saying Afghanistan's institutionalised discrimination should shock humanity.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Note that the decline preceded this summer’s law restricting institutional investors from buying single-family homes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Both worry that restricting the program to English will also be a loss for their children, who they believe would benefit from the extra support for language acquisition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Partly it was to do with the limitations of equipment–there were, for instance, no centrifuges until the second half of the century, severely restricting many kinds of experiments–and partly it was social.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
