Adjacent Words

Restrain definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RESTRA'IN, v.t. [L. restringo; re and stringo, to strain. The letter g appears from the participle to be casual; stringo, for strigo. Hence strictus, strict, stricture. If the two letters st are removed, the word rigo coincides exactly, in primary sense, with L. rego, rectus, right, and the root of reach, stretch, straight.]
1. To hold back; to check; to hold from action, proceeding or advancing, either by physical or moral force, or by an interposing obstacle. Thus we restrain a horse by a bridle; we restrain cattle from wandering by fences; we restrain water by dams and dikes; we restrain men from crimes and trespasses by laws; we restrain young people, when we can, by arguments or counsel; we restrain men and their passions; we restrain the elements; we attempt to restrain vice, but not always with success.
2. To repress; to keep in awe; as, to restrain offenders.
3. To suppress; to hinder or repress; as, to restrain excess.
4. To abridge; to hinder from unlimited enjoyment; as, to restrain one of his pleasure or of his liberty.
5. To limit; to confine.
Not only a metaphysical or natural, but a moral universality is also to be restrained by a part of the predicate.
6. To withhold; to forbear.
Thou restrainest prayer before God. Job 15.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: keep under control; keep in check; "suppress a smile"; "Keep your temper"; "keep your cool" [syn: restrain, keep, keep back, hold back]
2: place limits on (extent or access); "restrict the use of this parking lot"; "limit the time you can spend with your friends" [syn: restrict, restrain, trammel, limit, bound, confine, throttle]
3: to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement; "This holds the local until the express passengers change trains"; "About a dozen animals were held inside the stockade"; "The illegal immigrants were held at a detention center"; "The terrorists held the journalists for ransom" [syn: restrain, confine, hold]
4: hold back [syn: restrain, encumber, cumber, constrain]
5: to compel or deter by or as if by threats [syn: intimidate, restrain]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Middle English restraynen, from Anglo-French restreindre, from Latin restringere to restrain, restrict, from re- + stringere to bind tight — more at strain Date: 14th century 1. a. to prevent from doing, exhibiting, or expressing something <restrained the child from jumping> b. to limit, restrict, or keep under control <try to restrain your anger> 2. to moderate or limit the force, effect, development, or full exercise of <restrain trade> 3. to deprive of liberty; especially to place under arrest or restraint • restrainable adjective • restrainer noun Synonyms: restrain, check, curb, bridle mean to hold back from or control in doing something. restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes <restrained themselves from laughing>. check implies restraining or impeding a progress, activity, or impetus <trying to check government spending>. curb suggests an abrupt or drastic checking <learn to curb your appetite>. bridle implies keeping under control by subduing or holding in <bridle an impulse to throw the book down>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 (often refl., usu. foll. by from) check or hold in; keep in check or under control or within bounds. 2 repress; keep down. 3 confine; imprison. Derivatives: restrainable adj. restrainer n. Etymology: ME f. OF restrei(g)n- stem of restreindre f. L restringere restrict- (as RE-, stringere tie)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Restrain Re*strain", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Restrained; p. pr. & vb. n. Restraining.] [OE. restreinen, F. restreindre, fr. L. restringere, restrictum; pref. re- re- + stringere to draw, bind, or press together. See Strain, v. t., and cf. Restrict.] 1. 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. Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature Gives way to in repose! --Shak. 2. To draw back toghtly, as a rein. [Obs.] --Shak. 3. To hinder from unlimited enjoiment; to abridge. Though they two were committed, at least restrained of their liberty. --Clarendon. 4. To limit; to confine; to restrict. --Trench. Not only a metaphysical or natural, but a moral, universality also is to be restrained by a part of the predicate. --I. Watts. 5. To withhold; to forbear. Thou restrained prayer before God. --Job. xv. 4. Syn: To check; hinder; stop; withhold; repress; curb; suppress; coerce; restrict; limit; confine.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(restrains, restraining, restrained) 1. If you restrain someone, you stop them from doing what they intended or wanted to do, usually by using your physical strength. Wally gripped my arm, partly to restrain me and partly to reassure me... VERB: V n 2. If you restrain an emotion or you restrain yourself from doing something, you prevent yourself from showing that emotion or doing what you wanted or intended to do. She was unable to restrain her desperate anger... Gladys wanted to ask, 'Aren't you angry with him?' But she restrained herself from doing so. VERB: V n, V n from -ing/n 3. To restrain something that is growing or increasing means to prevent it from getting too large. The radical 500-day plan was very clear on how it intended to try to restrain inflation... = check VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Check, curb, bridle, repress, suppress, withhold, constrain, coerce, keep, hold. 2. Hold back, hold in, keep under, check. 3. Hinder, prevent, debar, bar, stop, prohibit, interdict. 4. Restrict, confine, abridge, hinder, circumscribe, narrow. 5. Withhold, forbear.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, adjust to, allay, alleviate, alter, anchor, arrest, assuage, attemper, bank the fire, bar, bind, bit, block, blunt, bottle up, bound, box in, box up, bridle, cage, cause, cause to, chain, chasten, check, circumscribe, cloister, coarct, collect, compel, condition, confine, constrain, contain, control, cool, cool off, coop, coop in, coop up, copyright, cork up, countercheck, crib, crimp, curb, curtail, dam up, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, debar, decelerate, delay, detain, diminish, discipline, dompt, downplay, draw the line, drive, dull, encage, enchain, enclose, enforce, enjoin, entrammel, extenuate, fasten, fence in, fetter, forbear, force, gag, govern, guard, gyve, hamper, handcuff, handicap, have, hedge, hedge about, hem in, hinder, hobble, hog-tie, hold, hold at bay, hold back, hold down, hold fast, hold in, hold in check, hold in custody, hold in leash, hold in restraint, hold up, hopple, immure, impede, impel, impound, imprison, incarcerate, inhibit, intercept, interfere, interfere with, intermeddle, interrupt, intervene, keep, keep back, keep from, keep in, keep in check, keep in custody, keep in detention, keep under control, keep within bounds, lash, lay, lay under restraint, leash, leaven, lenify, lessen, lighten, limit, lock up, make, make fast, manacle, meddle, mew, mew up, mitigate, moderate, modify, modulate, moor, muzzle, narrow, obstruct, obtund, oppose, palliate, patent, peg down, pen, pen up, picket, pin down, pinion, play down, pound, prevent, prohibit, pull, pull in, purify, put in irons, qualify, rail in, reduce, reduce the temperature, refrain, register, regulate, regulate by, rein, rein in, repress, resist, restrict, retard, retrench, rope, scant, scotch, seal up, season, secure, set back, set conditions, set limits, shackle, shut in, shut up, simmer down, simplify, slacken, slow down, smother, snub, sober, sober down, soften, specialize, stifle, stint, stop, straiten, straitjacket, strap, subdue, suppress, tame, temper, tether, tie, tie down, tie up, tone down, trammel, tune down, underplay, use force upon, wall in, weaken, withhold