constrain
verb (used with object)
to force, compel, or oblige.
was constraining
-
past progressiveof constrain.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Despite its growth so far, Goodles’s relatively small size was constraining further expansion, according to Zeszut.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Viktor Vyshnov, deputy head of Ukraine’s Shipping Administration, said more use of the corridor was needed to bring down insurance costs but acknowledged that the war was constraining shipowners.
From Reuters ● Sep. 8, 2022
“It perhaps was constraining while she was here, she had her eyes set on bigger things.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2021
Tesla is about to launch another new car, the Model Y. In April, Musk tweeted that Panasonic’s pace of battery production was constraining the production of the Model 3.
From The Verge ● Jun. 25, 2019
With respect to the things which Jacob was constraining himself to study—antiquities, sculptures, paintings, stored in the Naples museum—her attitude was one of jocose indifference or of half-tolerant contempt.
From The Emancipated by George Gissing
