restrain

American

[ri-streyn] / rɪˈstreɪn /

verb (used with object)

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

Synonyms:

hamper, hinder, circumscribe, restrict, imprison, confine

Antonyms:

release, liberate, free
to limit or hamper the activity, growth, or effect of.

to restrain trade with Cuba.

restrain British

/ rɪˈstreɪn /

verb

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

"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

Related Words

See check ¹.

Other Word Forms

overrestrain verb (used with object)
prerestrain verb (used with object)
restrainability noun
restrainable adjective
restrainingly adverb
unrestrainable adjective

Etymology

Origin of restrain

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

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.

For more than a year, the owners of other major league teams have telegraphed their desire to restrain all that spending, preferably through a salary cap.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Having lowered rates last year, many officials think they may not be doing much to restrain the economy as it is, leaving little room to cut absent meaningful weakening.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

That's a struggle many businesses share, with Ukraine's central bank saying recently that "The difficult situation in the energy sector will continue to restrain business activity for a long time".

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

Barron’s Live: Matt McLennan and his First Eagle colleagues started the year highlighting the risks of America’s twin deficits, hyperscaler spending, and “geopolitical disequilibrium”—all forces that continue to restrain the U.S. stock market.

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026

I had to restrain my impulse to run and bring a chair for the Messenger of Allah.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023