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

Etymology

Origin of restriction

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

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

Last week, Anthropic said it would begin restoring access to its most powerful AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, after Washington lifted a restriction on where they could be released.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: intermittent fasting, continuous calorie restriction, or standard care.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026

As BMO Capital Markets analyst Brian Pitz recently said in a note, the restriction “underscores the power of Anthropic’s models and their current leadership position.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The restriction also applies to citizen initiatives, which currently only need a simple majority vote to be approved.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

Since there is no restriction tying the singer to a “fixed” notation, children are free to just imitate or to explore, improvise and play with the sound.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

The Bank did row back on some stablecoin restrictions last month, it said because of recommendations from the House of Lords financial committee.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

So I’m open to the idea of this, as long as it doesn’t come at the athlete’s expense and put restrictions on them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Hollywood industry representatives had warned the governor’s office that the new restrictions could affect the state’s production incentive program, which was just bolstered last year to an annual cap of $750 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

It can be served a million different ways, is easy to adapt to dietary restrictions and feels luxurious without being fussy.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

He placed restrictions on what he would eat, created a list of potential visitors who’d be allowed to see him and another list of those who’d be summarily barred from entering his room.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

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