restrain

[ ri-streyn ]

verb (used with object)

1. to hold back from action; keep in check or under control; repress:

   to restrain one's temper.

   Synonyms: constrain, suppress, curb, control, bridle

   Antonyms: unbridle

2. to deprive of liberty, as by arrest or the like.

   Synonyms: hamper, hinder, circumscribe, restrict, imprison, confine

   Antonyms: release, liberate, free

3. to limit or hamper the activity, growth, or effect of:

   to restrain trade with Cuba.

restrain

/ rɪˈstreɪn /

verb

1. to hold (someone) back from some action, esp by force
2. to deprive (someone) of liberty, as by imprisonment
3. to limit or restrict

Derived Forms

• reˈstrainable, adjective

Other Words From

• re·straina·ble adjective
• re·straina·bili·ty noun
• re·straining·ly adverb
• over·re·strain verb (used with object)
• prere·strain verb (used with object)
• unre·straina·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of restrain¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English restreynen, from Middle French restreindre, from Latin restringere “to bind back, bind fast”; equivalent to re- + strain ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of restrain¹

C14 restreyne , from Old French restreindre , from Latin rēstringere to draw back tightly, from re- + stringere to draw, bind; see strain ¹

Synonym Study

See check ¹.

Example Sentences

The Trump White House will not be likely to restrain bellicose tendencies by Middle Eastern powerbrokers or African leaders, and - especially during the US policy vacuum of the next few months - any one of those leaders could launch a war, confident that America will not respond.

From BBC

If he’s re-elected, the G.O.P. won’t restrain him.

From Salon

They have cautioned that if he surrounds himself with loyalists, which he is expected to do, that there will be no one to restrain him from his more extreme ideas.

From BBC

He has frequently complained that he made a mistake in his first term by appointing aides like Kelly, Milley and Bolton, who believed it was their duty to restrain the president’s ill-considered impulses.

From Los Angeles Times

President Biden was reluctant to restrain Israel in Gaza.

From BBC

Related Words

• confine
• constrain
• curb
• curtail
• detain
• deter
• govern
• hamper
• hinder
• inhibit
• keep down
• kill
• limit
• prevent
• repress
• restrict
• subdue
• suppress