constipate
to cause constipation in; make costive.
Informal. to cause to become slow-moving or immobilized; restrict the action or effectiveness of: Bureaucratic red tape can constipate the operations of any government agency.
Obsolete. to crowd or pack closely together.
Origin of constipate
1Other words from constipate
- con·sti·pat·ed, adjective
Words Nearby constipate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use constipate in a sentence
There are some foods that tend to constipate while others act as a laxative.
The Biology, Physiology and Sociology of Reproduction | Winfield S. HallCertain vegetable and mineral substances taken either intentionally or by accident constipate the bowels.
The saccharated carbonate of iron is a beautiful preparation that does not constipate—is, indeed, a little laxative in action.
A Manual of Toy Dogs | Mrs. Leslie WilliamsBrandy is decidedly injurious, it heats and inflames the throat, and tends to constipate the bowels.
Advice to Singers | Frederick James CrowestOpium so employed does not produce narcotism, and does not constipate the bowels.
Scientific American Supplement No. 299 | Various
British Dictionary definitions for constipate
/ (ˈkɒnstɪˌpeɪt) /
(tr) to cause constipation in
Origin of constipate
1Collins 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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