restraint

noun

re·straint | \ri-ˈstrānt

Definition of restraint

1a : an act of restraining : the state of being restrained

b(1) : a means of restraining : a restraining force or influence

(2) : a device that restricts movement a restraint for children riding in cars

2 : a control over the expression of one's emotions or thoughts

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about restraint

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of restraint in a Sentence

Make sure the child safety restraint is in place. The prisoner was placed in restraints. His angry response showed a lack of restraint. The government has acted with restraint in dealing with this crisis.

Recent Examples on the Web

There were no restraints on Facebook from doing this. — Makena Kelly, The Verge, "Sen. Mark Warner on breaking up Facebook and Congress’ plan to regulate tech," 5 Nov. 2018 Evans has not attacked her over the issue, but both campaigns acknowledge Republicans won’t show similar restraint. — Greg Bluestein, ajc, "Today is the last day of early voting in Georgia: Catch up on the governor’s race.," 18 May 2018 Some of America's closest allies in western Europe, after having shunned the embassy inauguration, are calling on Israel to exercise restraint. — latimes.com, "Today: Festivities and Fury," 15 May 2018 Will the front office show some restraint in handing out contracts to veterans? — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, "David Fizdale Needs Time and Support to Steer Knicks to Prominence," 3 May 2018 Also, what restraint the Braves show in serving the pork rinds on the side. — Ted Berg, For The Win, "All 30 foods at MLB's new 'FoodFest,' ranked by how much I want to try them," 13 Mar. 2018 The Four’s unchecked power manifests most often as a restraint of competition. — Scott Galloway, Esquire, "Silicon Valley’s Tax-Avoiding, Job-Killing, Soul-Sucking Machine," 8 Feb. 2018 That included one case where the district paid $1.75 million to the family of an autistic boy who suffered two fractured femurs — a life-threatening injury — during a restraint. — Allison Ross, The Courier-Journal, "JCPS allowed abusive employees to go unpunished and back into classrooms, report says," 4 Jan. 2018 The reason for restraint, the Treasury said, is that China hasn’t intervened significantly in its currency markets in recent quarters. — Josh Zumbrun, WSJ, "U.S. Criticizes China’s Currency Practices, but Doesn’t Add Manipulator Designation," 18 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'restraint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.