as in compression
the act or process of reducing the size or volume of something by or as if by pressing
tried to ease the tie's constriction of his neck
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 constriction
The receptors control constriction and dilation in the smooth muscle fibers in the walls of these blood vessels.
—
Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Alabama gave Georgia its first home loss in six years with a 24-21 constriction; Oregon rode a pair of Moores (Dante and Dakorien) to bum out Happy Valley in extra time.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Yet what might sound like constriction has yielded sharper collaboration.
—Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
And being precious with a single period is not a constriction.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for constriction
Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Alabama gave Georgia its first home loss in six years with a 24-21 constriction; Oregon rode a pair of Moores (Dante and Dakorien) to bum out Happy Valley in extra time.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Yet what might sound like constriction has yielded sharper collaboration.
—Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
And being precious with a single period is not a constriction.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for constriction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constriction
Noun
-
The three compressions are Spanxsmooth Swim, which is light compression for barely there smoothing; Spanxshape Swim, medium compression for a little more tummy control and shaping, and Spanxsculpt Swim, strong compression that cinches and snatches.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The subtle compression feels supportive without being restrictive, making long flights and layovers way more comfortable.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hassan’s team instead squeezed a photon’s intensity and demonstrated real-time control, fluctuating between intensity and phase-squeezing by adjusting the silica’s position relative to the beams.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That gravitational pull extended through much of Xi Jinping's first five-year term, when China still projected the promise of profits and opportunity more than political constraint and economic contraction.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Thanks to housing crises in big cities, many aspiring writers can’t afford rooms of their own, and contractions in the media industry have made writing as a profession less tractable.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Cold storage facilities have long struggled to automate inventory management due to frost, airflow, condensation, and glare, all of which degrade conventional sensors and scanning systems.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This essentially will lead to condensation in the air, forming clouds at the surface that could reduce visibility to less than a mile.—
Mary Wasson,
San Antonio Express-News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Namely, the creamy remoulade that also stars Duke’s, plus briny capers, savory anchovies and Worcestershire sauce, zippy mustard, and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up.—
Karla Walsh,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Binoche plays a quite ordinary woman caught in the quite familiar squeeze of midlife.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a dusty cloud surrounding the central, contracting star, and that cloud is strongly suspected to be disk-like, with outflows and gaps in the dust in the two directions perpendicular to the disk.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Founded in 2015 by Cecilia Casagrande, the firm specializes in historic home design and renovations and offers general contracting and design-build services.—
Elizabeth Stamp,
Architectural Digest,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Constriction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constriction. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
