straiten

[ streyt-n ]
See synonyms for straiten on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to put into difficulties, especially financial ones: His obligations had straitened him.

  2. to restrict in range, extent, amount, pecuniary means, etc: Poverty straitens one's way of living.

  1. Archaic.

    • to make narrow.

    • to confine within narrow limits.

Origin of straiten

1
First recorded in 1515–25; strait + -en1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use straiten in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for straiten

straiten

/ (ˈstreɪtən) /


verb
  1. (tr; usually passive) to embarrass or distress, esp financially

  2. (tr) to limit, confine, or restrict

  1. 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