constrains

verb

present tense third-person singular of constrain
1
as in compels
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 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

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 constrains Better Decisions, Earlier What constrains superintendents is how much time every day gets consumed by documentation and piecing together what happened, rather than applying that judgment to what comes next. — Mike Winn, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 The fact that Starlink PNT is limited to communication with a single satellite at a time also constrains performance, whereas receiving multiple satellite measurement signals from many different angles could improve its accuracy. — Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026 Meanwhile, Europe is grappling with higher energy prices as the Iran conflict severely constrains oil exports from the Middle East. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026 That deeply constrains everything that occurs in the show’s first outing, which can’t see Mike, El, Dustin, Lucas, or Max grow as characters in ways that bump up against their arcs from the original show, or let the new addition Nikki (Odessa A’zion) become too firmly entrenched in their lives. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026 But when resistance is too high, when something constrains electron flow through the mitochondria, the system backs up. — Jasna Hodžić, Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026 This includes other priority areas along the Florida Wildlife Corridor where development constrains animal movement. — Eve Bohnett, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026 Limited access constrains health care, education, digital connectivity and job creation. — ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026 Inflation constrains monetary easing. — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constrains
  1. compels
  2. regulates
  3. forces
  4. contains
  5. coerces
  6. controls
  7. obliges
  8. restrains
Verb
  • The piece is over before the mental picture really develops, which only compels me to start it over again.
    — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026
  • Further, since a charging order compels an LLC to re-direct distribution payments to the creditor, the appeals court further mused that such was enough to create standing since the LLCs needed to know who to pay.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of compels
Verb
  • The Federal Aviation Administration regulates the airspace, and drone owners are responsible for knowing and abiding by those restrictions.
    — Kelly O'Donnell, NBC news, 5 July 2026
  • The Clean Air Act is the federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources and governs air pollution.
    — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of regulates
Verb
  • The series, which has 57 parts, tells the story of two couples on a double date that descends into chaos after a mysterious figure hacks their personal devices and forces them to reveal their secrets to each other.
    — Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • In this downward spiral, an unexpected encounter forces him to confront his limits.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
Definition of forces
Verb
  • Ify’s box contains a fake $100 bill, but Catherine decides to keep her box.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026
  • Their saliva contains a sugar molecule found in mammalian products that, when introduced to us through their bite, can trigger an allergy to red meat and sometimes dairy.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of contains
Verb
  • 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
Definition of coerces
Verb
  • Unlike conventional infrared systems that rely on bulky mechanical components to change focus, the new design controls light electronically at the level of individual microscopic pixels.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026
  • Government departments and businesses can keep using Amazon or Microsoft cloud infrastructure—but Valarian’s layer controls exactly what data leaves, who touches it, and when.
    — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 13 July 2026
Definition of controls
Verb
  • That emergency obliges all of us — critical filmmakers, activists, big and small festivals — to be more courageous.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 18 June 2026
  • The court replaced it with a read-in version that obliges parliament to refer a panel’s findings to the impeachment committee, which is responsible for conducting a full inquiry into the hearing evidence, determining whether grounds exist to remove a sitting president.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 8 May 2026
Definition of obliges
Verb
  • Remarkably, state law also severely restrains cities and counties from setting their own regulations, giving local leaders little sway over local gun policies.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026
  • The result is an economic model that favors producers, restrains consumers, and floods international markets with supercheap exports, including steel, solar panels, and electric vehicles.
    — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
Definition of restrains

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constraining
constrains
constraint
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Cite this Entry

“Constrains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constrains. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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