restrain
verb (used with object)
to hold back from action; keep in check or under control; repress.
was restraining
-
past progressiveof restrain.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.
As the war began, the BOE’s key rate was at a level that policymakers judged was restraining activity and cooling inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
County-USC Medical Center, was restraining psychiatric inpatients less often than other county facilities and several local private hospitals, department data show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2023
Many officials would not want to lift interest rates while they are still buying bonds, because doing so would mean that one tool was stoking the economy while the other was restraining it.
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2021
One of the officers who was restraining Floyd — Lane — mentioned the term at the scene, and Chauvin’s defense is expected to address the theory its in case.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2021
“I have to get some poster board for my science project,” I told Ms. Sandnes one day while she was restraining Leroy.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
