bridle

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb bridle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of bridle are check, curb, and restrain. While all these words mean "to hold back from or control in doing something," bridle implies keeping under control by subduing or holding in.

bridle an impulse to throw the book down

Where would check be a reasonable alternative to bridle?

The meanings of check and bridle largely overlap; however, check implies restraining or impeding a progress, activity, or impetus.

trying to check government spending

When could curb be used to replace bridle?

Although the words curb and bridle have much in common, curb suggests an abrupt or drastic checking.

learn to curb your appetite

When would restrain be a good substitute for bridle?

The words restrain and bridle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes.

restrained themselves from laughing

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bridle Disney has had major friction with Charter Communications and DirecTV over the past couple of years as those operators have bridled at Disney’s demands for higher fees. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 12 Feb. 2025 Though there have been just 15 ballot initiatives that became law in Idaho in more than 112 years, the state GOP has increasingly bridled at successful signature drives, which have led to Medicaid expansion and higher education funding. Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 7 Feb. 2025 On the ground, soldiers bridled at having to fight an impossible, unpopular war, and turmoil spread through the ranks. Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025 Some diplomats bridle at the very idea of haggling with the Taliban, saying that the rights of women and girls are nonnegotiable. Delaney Simon, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bridle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bridle
Verb
  • Doctors Without Borders, one of the many nongovernmental aid groups in Gaza refusing to work with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, says aid must not be controlled by a warring party to further its military objectives.
    Aya Batrawy, NPR, 28 June 2025
  • Fort Worth firefighters quickly controlled a two-alarm fire at Hulen Mall on Friday night, and shoppers and employees were evacuated from the building.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • Clouds play an important role in regulating the climate.
    Max G. Levy, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025
  • Last week, the Senate approved the stablecoin bill, establishing a framework to regulate these digital currencies that are linked to the U.S. dollar.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Iran's envoy to the United Nations has said that the treaty serving as the linchpin for curbing the spread of nuclear weapons has been used to spark conflict rather than promote peace following strikes from the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
  • The Ten Thousand Camel Festival was launched by the Amazing Gobi Tourism Association in 1997 as a way to curb the rapidly declining population by promoting camel products and experiences.
    Matt Dutile, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • When restrained, Perry falls to the ground while still cursing, as seen in another video, and is then removed from the flight.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 27 June 2025
  • Earlier this month, on June 17, a 32-year-old female New York resident was restrained and removed from a Southwest flight from LaGuardia to Kansas City.
    Colson Thayer, People.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • On-screen text follows, reminding us that the virus laid waste to the UK, which was quarantined to contain the evil, with survivors there being left to fend for themselves.
    Mark Meszoros, Boston Herald, 19 June 2025
  • After new growth is visible on kangaroo paws, fertilize with any complete fertilizer (containing N-P-K, an abbreviation for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium).
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • Given this preference, dealers can stock up on expensive models while keeping a low supply of cheaper models, as with the Maverick.
    Mark Dent, HubSpot, 27 June 2025
  • Many kids want to keep playing at the park or in the pool, totally oblivious to the fact that their parents are desperate to sit in front of the AC for a few minutes.
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • With Scottish writer George Blake’s novel, The Shipbuilders, language and dialect were tamed thanks to Sylvia’s views.
    Nicola Wilson June 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
  • The Fed raises interest rates to tame inflation, and cuts them to support borrowing and economic growth.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Tools And Frameworks Help Spot Potential Accurately Unlike performance, which is usually measured with data, potential can feel subjective.
    Melanie Hughes, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • To begin with, the atoms being used for error correction have to be moved to a location—the measurement zone—where they can be measured without disturbing anything else.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bridle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bridle. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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