How to Use refrain in a Sentence

refrain

1 of 2 verb

• I was going to make a joke but I refrained.
• Mueller refrained from such candor.
  — David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
• Too uptight to refrain from checking email.
  — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
• Or the multiple pleas for the group to please refrain from running?
  — Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
• The track treads with a cautious cadence through its first verse and refrain, then pauses.
  — Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
• People in the area were urged to refrain from using burners or other flames.
  — Brandon Truitt, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
• But while Leo has refrained from condemning the war, his bishops have not.
  — ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
• Guests were asked to refrain from taking photos of other diners.
  — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023
• Avoid driving over the area, refrain from building structures on it, and keep trees at a distance.
  — Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Aug. 2025
• Avoid driving over the area, refrain from building structures on it, and keep trees at a distance.
  — Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Dec. 2025
• However, refrain from pruning when new growth starts.
  — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 29 May 2026
• Muslims refrain from eating pork.
  — Angele Latham, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Sep. 2025
• Wait at least two days before following up, and please refrain from doing so in excess.
  — Vulture Editors, Vulture, 12 May 2026
• Those who are not current students were asked to refrain from trying to enter the campus.
  — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
• That’s not the case this time which could be another reason for China to refrain.
  — Brittyn Clennett, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2023
• Iran and its proxies will refrain from drone attacks across the Persian Gulf.
  — David Ignatius, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2026
• His siblings also refrain from posting photos of him.
  — Katie Mannion, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026
• Taste, like character, is simply the power to refrain.
  — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
• Restaurants and retailers should refrain from serving the meat and dispose of it.
  — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
• Check the care instructions and refrain from intense scrubbing.
  — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 8 Aug. 2023
• But to him, this doesn’t mean that psychiatrists should refrain from making life-or-death judgments.
  — Charles Lane, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
• This includes refraining from impure and unkind thoughts, vulgar words, and bad deeds.
  — Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2023
• Manettas’ parents were present at the courthouse this morning, but refrained from comment.
  — George Chidi, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2023
• But my sons have yet to complain; like my dancing or singing they graciously refrain from making any comment.
  — Jane Park, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
• For his part, Powell has refrained from addressing the issue.
  — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2026
• Zhang urges you to set mental boundaries like refraining from overthinking.
  — Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
• Racicot refrained from filing civil suit or pressing criminal charges for more than four years.
  — Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 9 July 2026
• In the future, visit her at her home, but refrain from inviting her to visit or bring relatives to your home again.
  — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
• On the other hand, the Ducks have excelled at refraining from giving away free passes.
  — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2026
• People may observe wildlife from a distance but should refrain from approaching or handling.
  — Yvette Orozco, Houston Chronicle, 3 May 2026

refrain

2 of 2 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.
• Look, toss away, goes her refrain.
  — Natalie Bakopoulos august 21, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
• Time for fans to alter the refrain.
  — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
• Joy threads through every jazz refrain.
  — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
• The refrain is – oh, sorry, please.
  — CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025
• There is a common refrain about seasons that end in rings.
  — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
• This has been a common refrain in recent weeks.
  — Time, 23 Oct. 2025
• Some fans have grown tired of hearing that refrain as the losses have piled up.
  — The Courier-Journal, 19 Feb. 2023
• There’s a common refrain that the troops are being used as pawns.
  — Dave Smith, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
• But contrary to the banal refrain, all press isn’t good press.
  — Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 9 May 2022
• The volunteers who worked with him echoed the refrain.
  — Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
• And one final point, the refrain is, oh, sorry, please.
  — CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025
• There was a common refrain about buying Punch a gun.
  — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2026
• Some songs are two verses, some songs are straight through, but there’s still a refrain and a chorus.
  — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
• Oldham sings on the refrain of the title track, his voice crackly and rich.
  — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
• Navarro sings a refrain from a beloved song about the Venezuelan city.
  — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 13 May 2023
• The refrain was heard again later in the first half and shortly after half-time.
  — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
• The usual refrain is this, namely that there isn’t time for being stylish when in a street fight.
  — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
• The more common refrain centers on letting a starter stay in too long and getting burned.
  — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2022
• That’s a common refrain in the NHL.
  — Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
• Viewers will hear a sing-song refrain in Phoenix after key buckets.
  — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
• But Nelson wasn’t the only singer to launch from its desirous refrain.
  — Erin Osmon, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2024
• Indeed, the importance of time is a constant refrain for each brand.
  — Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
• For the past decade, Josh Weathers has been hearing the same refrain from his wife.
  — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
• Southeast Asian countries, to use their common refrain, do not want to be forced to choose.
  — John Lee, Foreign Affairs, 21 Nov. 2023
• At the song’s lilting refrain, the kids led the teams onto the field, the crowd growing still louder.
  — Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Apr. 2026
• Rosalía shouted during the mantra-slash-refrain, then spent the rest of the night shape-shifting as promised.
  — Chris Richards, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2022
• The need for more funds was a constant refrain from the clerks who participated.
  — Nick Tabor, The New Republic, 5 Apr. 2022
• Warnings against a return to the Cold War were a common refrain.
  — David Pierson, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023