restriction

American  

[ri-strik-shuhn] / rɪˈstrɪk ʃən /

noun

• restrictions
  plural

1. 

   something that restricts; a restrictive condition or regulation; limitation.

   Synonyms:

   restraint, reservation, provision, rule

2. the act of restricting.

3. the state of being restricted.

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restriction British  

/ rɪˈstrɪkʃən /

noun

1. something that restricts; a restrictive measure, law, etc

2. the act of restricting or the state of being restricted

3. logic maths a condition that imposes a constraint on the possible values of a variable or on the domain of arguments of a function

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrestriction
  noun
• overrestriction
  noun
• prerestriction
  noun
• restrictionist
  noun
• self-restriction
  noun
• superrestriction
  noun
• prorestriction
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• restrictions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of restriction

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin restrictiōn-, stem of restrictiō; equivalent to restrict + -ion

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Explanation

A restriction is a limitation or a restraint, like when a size restriction keeps you from jumping on a toddler trampoline and bouncing the smaller kids a mile up in the air. Usually a restriction is in place because a limit needs to be set. Common sense would keep you from putting a bowling ball in a paper bag; you wouldn’t need a restriction to tell you not to do it. Sometimes a restriction is the result of doing something bad or misusing a privilege, as when your parents put a restriction on video gaming to limit your time in front of the TV.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

restriction restrictions

However, there is a fundamental physical restriction on how long coherence can last.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

The research suggests it can lead to modest weight loss, but studies generally find it doesn’t work any better than normal calorie restriction.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Ukraine says there has been a restriction to the speed of SpaceX's Starlink internet network in the country.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Our defense forces received no warning about this restriction, and it has led to the disruption of a number of missions.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

We protested against this restriction, but to no avail.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Argentine authorities said they presented valid travel documents and faced no legal restrictions on entering the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

He explained that when there is a system failure, a 24-hour control centre in Madrid takes over, but it had made an "inexplicable" decision to instruct the trains to move again, without any speed restrictions.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Some Airbnb hosts are threatening to quit the platform, raise their housekeeping fees or pare their rental properties down to the bare essentials rather than accept new restrictions on checkout chores.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

At Gollety’s weapons store, Armurerie de la Bourse, dozens of guns are on display, but firearm restrictions are so tight in France that merchants were not trying to buy any.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Some messages had to be broken on location because of legal restrictions.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

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Related Words

• check
• condition
• constraint
• control
• curb
• limit
• regulation
• restraint
• rule
• stipulation
• stricture

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