restraining order

noun

1

: a preliminary legal order sometimes issued to keep a situation unchanged pending decision upon an application for an injunction

2

: a legal order issued against an individual to restrict or prohibit access or proximity to another specified individual

Examples of restraining order in a Sentence

The judge issued a restraining order.

Recent Examples on the Web

Court records also show a woman obtained a domestic violence restraining order against Iriarte-Valdez early last year and that he was later accused of violating it. — Maddie White, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

But a severe shortage of human court reporters has led to months-long delays in proceedings, including in some, like requests for domestic violence restraining orders, that require timely responses. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026

On July 6, Victoria filed a request for a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Sandoval, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. — Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026

The local government had been in turmoil as members threw around allegations of embezzlement, filed lawsuits, and obtained restraining orders against each other, the outlet reported. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 31 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for restraining order

• boarder
• border
• corder
• warder
• camcorder
• disorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder

Legal Definition

restraining order

see also:

order sense 3b