1
as in compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
constrained by conscience to tell only the truth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in regulates
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
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Recent Examples of constrains
Fear of them constrains how US warships can operate in the Gulf, potentially limiting the range and effect of US Navy air and missile strikes into Iran, Schuster said.
—
Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Diesel prices are rising as the war in the Middle East constrains the world's oil supply and drives up prices of Brent crude, the international benchmark, above $100 a barrel.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
This vigilance becomes automatic, a psychological mask that protects but also constrains.
—Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2026
No equivalent mechanism constrains the Federal Reserve.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
In this domain, AI agents have the potential to alleviate an increasingly acute shortage of engineering talent that constrains product development, customization, and innovation.
—Paul Eremenko, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Modern economies run on energy, yet the United States increasingly constrains supply through permitting delays.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
Its outcome could define how far immigration officers may go in workplaces across the country, shaping protections for millions of Americans employed in industries with large immigrant labor forces and testing whether the Fourth Amendment meaningfully constrains interior enforcement.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Viral outrage, administrative investigations and threats to cut state or federal funding to schools can all contribute to an intensifying climate of fear of retribution that constrains educators’ ability to teach freely.
—Laura Gail Miller, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Diesel prices are rising as the war in the Middle East constrains the world's oil supply and drives up prices of Brent crude, the international benchmark, above $100 a barrel.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
This vigilance becomes automatic, a psychological mask that protects but also constrains.
—Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2026
No equivalent mechanism constrains the Federal Reserve.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
In this domain, AI agents have the potential to alleviate an increasingly acute shortage of engineering talent that constrains product development, customization, and innovation.
—Paul Eremenko, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Modern economies run on energy, yet the United States increasingly constrains supply through permitting delays.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
Its outcome could define how far immigration officers may go in workplaces across the country, shaping protections for millions of Americans employed in industries with large immigrant labor forces and testing whether the Fourth Amendment meaningfully constrains interior enforcement.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Viral outrage, administrative investigations and threats to cut state or federal funding to schools can all contribute to an intensifying climate of fear of retribution that constrains educators’ ability to teach freely.
—Laura Gail Miller, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constrains
Verb
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Even so, each glimpse of what lies beyond Earth compels us to search farther.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Mar. 2026
-
House Oversight Committee Democrats said Wednesday that Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to commit to complying with a subpoena that compels her to testify at a closed-door deposition over the Jeffrey Epstein files on April 14.—
John Parkinson,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates prediction markets, earlier this month issued guidance on what measures prediction markets should take to prevent insider trading.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The Federal Aviation Administration tightly regulates airspace, and the companies’ efforts remain limited in scale.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That forces the Padres to choose, ostensibly, between France and Jose Miranda by Saturday.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Chazelle forces us to decide in the film’s devastating final moments.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Each glittering point of starlight contains its own stellar system, with planets, moons, and potentially even life.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Mar. 2026
-
And yet my favorite Italian sandwich in New York City—maybe my favorite sandwich, period—contains no meat whatsoever.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
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Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That is, China controls materials essential to America's ability to wage war.—
Jon Wertheim,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
In the new sequel, Grace teams with her estranged younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), as they’re hunted by four elite families full of murderous jerks scrambling to become the High Seat of a Council that controls the world.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The terms of the deal between property owners and the government obliges these landlords to keep rents affordable for their occupants for decades, generally restricting rent to about 30% of tenants’ income.—
Brian Y. An,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
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But no character in any Broadway musical of recent vintage is designed to steal scenes like Aunt Debra, and Emily Koch obliges with a bold, brassy portrayal that proves a key catalyst for the engaging spirit of this marvelous production.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At certain points in the novel, that distance calcifies and restrains his writing.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
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And most of the officials agreed that the Fed’s key rate is close to a level that neither stimulates nor restrains the economy.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Constrains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constrains. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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