Dictionary.com

straiten

[ streyt-n ]
/ ˈstreɪt n /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: straiten / straitened on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
to put into difficulties, especially financial ones: His obligations had straitened him.
to restrict in range, extent, amount, pecuniary means, etc: Poverty straitens one's way of living.
Archaic.
  1. to make narrow.
  2. to confine within narrow limits.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of straiten

First recorded in 1515–25; strait + -en1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use straiten in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for straiten

straiten
/ (ˈstreɪtən) /

verb
(tr; usually passive) to embarrass or distress, esp financially
(tr) to limit, confine, or restrict
archaic to make or become narrow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK