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
Gas prices are ticking higher as the Iran war constrains global oil supply.
—
Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 5 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
Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 26 Sep. 2025
Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 5 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
Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constrains
Verb
-
Personality is now a big part of what compels buyers to choose a home; agents increasingly hear buyers asking for character and uniqueness over recent design styles.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The music alone of this collection is a pleasure, but the voice compels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Prasad's time as the FDA's top vaccine and biotech regulator has been marked by a series of similar disputes with the companies the agency regulates.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lee forces a foul call after a drive to the rim.—
American-Statesman staff,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
-
After hours of scrutiny, debate and amendments, the council voted 9-6 to approve a compromise resolution that forces the city to pursue those two tracks and bars consultants that recently assessed the building’s conditions bidding on contracts related to the project.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Dark red markings on a gray panel, meanwhile, typically indicate that the ammunition contains an irritant or riot-control agent.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Her Amazon cart contains the ageless, expensive-looking building blocks of any cool girl’s closet.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
8 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
-
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
-
The team from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), working with scientists from The Ohio State University and Amphenol Corporation found that the new method controls heat flow in solid materials by using an electric field.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Pezeshkian's message, seemingly recorded in a hurry, underlined the limited powers exercised by the theocracy's leaders over the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which controls the hundreds of ballistic missiles targeting Israel and other countries.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo points to the space in frame three, and Rafa Marin obliges, firing the ball through to Santi Comesana and taking six Juventus players out of the game.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At certain points in the novel, that distance calcifies and restrains his writing.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
-
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 14 Mar. 2026.
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