restrain
[ ri-streyn ]
verb (used with object)
to hold back from action; keep in check or under control; repress: to restrain one's temper.
to deprive of liberty, as by arrest or the like.
to limit or hamper the activity, growth, or effect of: to restrain trade with Cuba.
Origin of restrain
1synonym study For restrain
1. See check1.
Other words for restrain
Opposites for restrain
Other words from restrain
- 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
Words that may be confused with restrain
British Dictionary definitions for restrain
restrain
/ (rɪˈstreɪn) /
verb(tr)
to hold (someone) back from some action, esp by force
to deprive (someone) of liberty, as by imprisonment
to limit or restrict
Origin of restrain
1C14 restreyne, from Old French restreindre, from Latin rēstringere to draw back tightly, from re- + stringere to draw, bind; see strain 1
Derived forms of restrain
- restrainable, adjective
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
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