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Definition of restrain
transitive verb
1a : to prevent from doing, exhibiting, or expressing something restrained the child from jumpingb : 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
restrainer
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of restrain in a Sentence
He could not restrain the dog from attacking.
He could restrain himself no longer.
Hospital orderlies needed to restrain the patient.
He was restrained and placed in a holding cell.
He could barely restrain his anger.
The manufacturer took measures to restrain costs.
Recent Examples of restrain from the Web
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Her notes say one of the managers told her that Joseph King had been restrained by staff members at the home for 10 minutes before losing consciousness.
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Other workers tackled the shooter and restrained him with zip ties until police arrived.
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His 5-year-old sister was not properly restrained in a booster seat that was designed for a child of her age.
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Even after Hitler consolidated his hold, Einstein restrained himself for a while.
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While companies see sales gaining and increasingly plan capital investments, a dwindling pool of skilled and experienced labor for hire may be restraining efforts to boost headcounts.
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State Police say the driver of the Toyota had minor injuries but that his son, who was not properly restrained, was flown to a hospital in critical condition.
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The service scales a pet’s teeth to remove any obvious signs of tartar, which requires restraining your pet for the entire time in order to accomplish it.
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Given the potential for scenery-chewing here, Cox is surprisingly restrained even in his moments of highest dudgeon.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'restrain'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of restrain
Middle English restraynen, from Anglo-French restreindre, from Latin restringere to restrain, restrict, from re- + stringere to bind tight — more at strain
Synonym Discussion of restrain
RESTRAIN Defined for English Language Learners
restrain
playDefinition of restrain for English Language Learners
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: to prevent (a person or animal) from doing something
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: to prevent (a person or animal) from moving by using physical force
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: to keep (something) under control
RESTRAIN Defined for Kids
Law Dictionary
restrain
playLegal Definition of restrain
1a : to prevent from doing something — see also restraining order at order 3b b : to limit, restrict, or keep under control
2 : to moderate or limit the force, effect, development, or full exercise of
3 : to deprive of liberty and especially of physical movement
Learn More about restrain
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for restrain Spanish Central: Translation of restrain Nglish: Translation of restrain for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of restrain for Arabic speakers
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