constraining

verb

present participle of constrain
1
as in forcing
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure constrained by conscience to tell only the truth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in regulating
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) constrained his anger at the needless interruption

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of constraining Producer prices climbed at their fastest pace in over four years, rising 5% in September, while consumer inflation remains below 1%, reflecting persistent excess capacity and weak demand that are constraining businesses' pricing power. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026 And conducting that work within Anthropic risked constraining White Circle from sharing it with the public. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026 This is important to me, because as much as these tech companies claim to be upending everything with AI and claiming extraordinarily special privileges as a result, there is still legal gravity constraining them. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026 Dyed diesel is sold at a limited set of locations designed primarily for industry operators, constraining access to the fuel. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 The conflict in the Middle East has choked oil flows from the region, constraining global supply. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026 The drug stops the virus from multiplying in the body, effectively constraining its severity. — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026 Done well, pricing and packaging can improve margins without reducing service quality or constraining growth. — Basant Singh, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026 Employers are freezing or cutting hiring, with the steepest declines concentrated in middle- and entry-level roles, effectively constraining household earnings exactly when energy and living costs are surging. — Katica Roy, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraining
  1. forcing
  2. regulating
  3. coercing
  4. controlling
  5. compelling
  6. curbing
  7. obligating
  8. containing
Verb
  • Smelters reject or penalize this dangerous contaminant, forcing miners to destroy it using energy-intensive, high-emission furnaces.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Holiday shopping used to feel concentrated in the weeks leading up to December, forcing households to absorb a big chunk of seasonal spending in a relatively short stretch.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of forcing
Verb
  • In the absence of a federal law regulating them, the responsibility falls to local governments, said Ridout, who estimates that about 30 states have some type of rule or requirement regarding AI in political campaigns.
    — Anagilmara Vílchez, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The agency charged with regulating Colorado’s first-in-the-nation legal recreational marijuana market potentially put consumers at risk of using contaminated products, a new state audit found.
    — Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of regulating
Verb
  • In lawsuits filed last year, Chegg and PMC accused Google of abusing its monopoly power by coercing publishers into supplying content for AI Overviews for free, or risk disappearing from search results.
    — Emma Roth, The Verge, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Playing that cat, a work camp warden coercing Hawke’s character into smuggling gold through the wilderness, is none other than Russell Crowe.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of coercing
Verb
  • The Houthis ramped up their advance on Taiz last month, after a lightning-fast capture of the port city of Mokha, an area about 130 kilometers (80 miles) away that is vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But Meta’s new SEC filing that posted this week shows that’s in part because of the key difference between owning a company and controlling it.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of controlling
Verb
  • Last year, Wangari pushed through a law compelling the government to open more than a hundred registry offices, and making identity documents a fundamental right for every citizen.
    — Vivienne Walt, Time, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The state’s campaign watchdog can seek a court order compelling an influencer to disclose that they were paid, but that can take months.
    — Sophie Austin, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of compelling
Verb
  • Biotech companies like Eli Lilly and Altimmune are testing drugs for their effect at curbing alcohol cravings.
    — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026
  • My number one priority is curbing the overdevelopment that is ravaging Tavares.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of curbing
Verb
  • The system can also halt the procedure and involve a human operator at specific stages, such as in specific manual underwriting procedures, instead of obligating all files through the same system.
    — Ethan Stone, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Your 11th House of Friends lights up as the life-giving Sun energizes that area, squaring obligating Saturn in your 8th House of Intimacy and Shared Resources.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026
Definition of obligating
Verb
  • Instead, her attackers started ripping her gear off her body – her camera bag, her lenses, her pouch containing her American passport, credit cards, documents and other items.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Meghan said a letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle was sent to the authorities and later shared with her.
    — Victoria Craw, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of containing

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Cite this Entry

“Constraining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraining. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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