refrained; refraining; refrains
: to keep oneself from doing, feeling, or indulging in something and especially from following a passing impulse
refrained from having dessert
1
: a regularly recurring phrase or verse especially at the end of each stanza or division of a poem or song : chorus
also
: the musical setting of a refrain
2
: a comment or statement that is often repeated
Examples of refrain in a Sentence
Verb
I was going to make a joke but I refrained.
Noun
A common refrain among teachers these days is that the schools need more funding.
I didn't know the verses of the song, so I only sang on the refrain.
Recent Examples on the Web
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
As with prices, governments should refrain from distorting profits — and, just as importantly, losses — because doing so hinders people’s ability to figure out what is working and what is not.
—The Editors, National Review, 30 June 2025
Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2025
Tecca certainly knows his way around a refrain that’s clever, melodic and hooky — and that’s part of the hitmaking process that far too many rappers tend to wave off as incidental in 2025.
4.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refrain
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Verb
Drivers should use the right edge of the road as a guideline and refrain from using cruise control.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
As with prices, governments should refrain from distorting profits — and, just as importantly, losses — because doing so hinders people’s ability to figure out what is working and what is not.
—The Editors, National Review, 30 June 2025
Noun
Hartman promised an aggressiveness with purchasing land and chasing affordability for buyers, which could be a welcome refrain for much of the South Florida market not in the upper echelon of people seeking new million-dollar homes.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2025
Tecca certainly knows his way around a refrain that’s clever, melodic and hooky — and that’s part of the hitmaking process that far too many rappers tend to wave off as incidental in 2025.
4.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refrain
Cite this Entry
“Refrain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refrain. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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