Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To hold back or keep in check; control.
  • transitive verb To prevent (a person or group) from doing something or acting in a certain way.
  • transitive verb To hold, fasten, or secure so as to prevent or limit movement.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To draw tight; strain.
  • To hold back; hold in; check; confine; hold from action or motion, either by physical or moral force, or by any interposing obstacle; hence, to repress or suppress: as, to restrain a horse by a bridle; to restrain men from crimes and trespasses by laws; to restrain, laughter.
  • To abridge; restrict; hinder from liberty of action.
  • To limit; confine; restrict in definition.
  • To withhold; forbear.
  • To forbid; prohibit.
  • Synonyms Restrain, Repress, Restrict; stop, withhold, curb, bridle, coerce. Restrain and repress are general words for holding or pressing back; restrict applies to holding back to a more definite degree: as, to restrain one's appetite; to restrict one's self in food or to a certain diet. That which we restrain we keep within limits; that which we restrict we keep within certain definite limits; that which we repress we try to put out of existence.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To draw back again; to hold back from acting, proceeding, or advancing, either by physical or moral force, or by any interposing obstacle; to repress or suppress; to keep down; to curb.
  • transitive verb obsolete To draw back toghtly, as a rein.
  • transitive verb To hinder from unlimited enjoiment; to abridge.
  • transitive verb To limit; to confine; to restrict.
  • transitive verb To withhold; to forbear.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To control or keep in check.
  • verb transitive To deprive of liberty.
  • verb transitive To restrict or limit.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb hold back
  • verb keep under control; keep in check
  • verb place limits on (extent or access)
  • verb to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement
  • verb to compel or deter by or as if by threats

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English restreinen, from Old French restraindre, restreign-, from Latin restringere, to bind back; see restrict.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle French restraindre, from Latin rēstringō ("fasten, tighten")

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Examples

  • All that trash coming in from Canada that Michigan politicians have spent years trying to restrain is starting to look like pure gold as a source of alternative energy, Gov.

    Drugs and Trash: Energy Alternatives for the Midwest 2007

  • All that trash coming in from Canada that Michigan politicians have spent years trying to restrain is starting to look like pure gold as a source of alternative energy, Gov.

    Archive for » 2007 » August : Sustainablog 2007

  • To begin with, no matter what the secretary says and how many times he says it, many investors and traders are skeptical, either of the Bush's commitment to a strong dollar, or of its ability to do what is necessary to achieve a strong dollar -- namely restrain the U.S. budget deficit.

    THE DOLLAR DELUGE 2007

  • Think back on King's record not least his sycophantic praise of Gordon Brown prior to 2005 and the failure of both the Bank of England and the Treasury to restrain a kamikaze housing boom supported by sub prime lending and you marvel at his remarkable powers of survival.

    unknown title 2011

  • Think back on King's record not least his sycophantic praise of Gordon Brown prior to 2005 and the failure of both the Bank of England and the Treasury to restrain a kamikaze housing boom supported by sub prime lending and you marvel at his remarkable powers of survival.

    unknown title 2011

  • One by Sue Polidura of the Seacoast Freedom Network links to a story about Perry's opposition to so-called "restrain the TSA" legislation in Texas.

    All Stories 2011

  • I'm an unrepentantly profane, blasphemous and sacrilegious apostate-cum-heretic, and while my own roots are Protestant, I don't restrain myself to that culture if I'm of a mood to kick against the pricks (I can just hear the wry voice from the back now: "Fuck, do you even know the meaning of the word restrain?").

    The Sacred Domain Hal Duncan 2006

  • I'm an unrepentantly profane, blasphemous and sacrilegious apostate-cum-heretic, and while my own roots are Protestant, I don't restrain myself to that culture if I'm of a mood to kick against the pricks (I can just hear the wry voice from the back now: "Fuck, do you even know the meaning of the word restrain?").

    Archive 2006-09-01 Hal Duncan 2006

  • We always think that it's the gov'ts fault for trying to 'restrain' us from hunting.

    California Shoots Down More Bear Hunting 2009

  • We always think that it's the gov'ts fault for trying to 'restrain' us from hunting.

    California Shoots Down More Bear Hunting 2009

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