as in constraints
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice
civil libertarians contend that the new laws place too many restraints on our constitutionally guaranteed rights
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Recent Examples of restraints
Obviously there are certain timing restraints.
—
Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 17 June 2026
The officers cuffed the survivors with plastic restraints, placed hoods on their heads and demanded that no one speak, according to the fishermen.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Because of this, additional restraints and a spit hood were used for the safety of Field and the deputies.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 12 June 2026
That exemption allows the major pro leagues to feature salary caps, luxury taxes, maximum salaries and other blatant restraints on earning opportunities that might run afoul of antitrust law since those rules are bargained with unions and thus exempt from antitrust scrutiny.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 June 2026
The prisoner will be escorted into the execution chamber and strapped to an execution chair with restraints.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 10 June 2026
Some employees weren’t using hair restraints, raw eggs were stored above ready-to-eat food and rodent droppings were found in the kitchen.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
The King was still at the top but was to be somewhat bounded by constitutional restraints, an arrangement that, essentially, is still in place today.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Democrats say any funding bill for the Homeland Security Department should place restraints on federal immigration authorities, including better identification for federal officers and more use of judicial warrants, among other asks.
—ABC News, 4 June 2026
Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 17 June 2026
The officers cuffed the survivors with plastic restraints, placed hoods on their heads and demanded that no one speak, according to the fishermen.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Because of this, additional restraints and a spit hood were used for the safety of Field and the deputies.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 12 June 2026
That exemption allows the major pro leagues to feature salary caps, luxury taxes, maximum salaries and other blatant restraints on earning opportunities that might run afoul of antitrust law since those rules are bargained with unions and thus exempt from antitrust scrutiny.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 June 2026
The prisoner will be escorted into the execution chamber and strapped to an execution chair with restraints.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 10 June 2026
Some employees weren’t using hair restraints, raw eggs were stored above ready-to-eat food and rodent droppings were found in the kitchen.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
The King was still at the top but was to be somewhat bounded by constitutional restraints, an arrangement that, essentially, is still in place today.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Democrats say any funding bill for the Homeland Security Department should place restraints on federal immigration authorities, including better identification for federal officers and more use of judicial warrants, among other asks.
—ABC News, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restraints
Noun
-
The fundraising comes as analysts remain bullish on the outlook for AI memory chips, arguing that supply constraints in high-bandwidth memory are likely to persist for years as hyperscalers continue ramping up AI infrastructure spending.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
25 June 2026
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Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington are included in the states opting out, with the majority citing budget constraints in their reasoning.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2026
Noun
-
The legislation would grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption, allowing the governing body to enforce restrictions on athlete compensation.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2026
-
The moves forced Chinese companies to innovate around the restrictions.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
Noun
-
But the industry groups are still arguing that film credits should be entirely exempt from the new limitations, as they have already been accounted for and approved by the Legislature through 2030.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
19 June 2026
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In recent years, the courts have been ripping apart the NCAA rule book, prohibiting the organization from imposing limitations on transferring, and allowing players to return to college play after having gone pro.—
Jemele Hill,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Restraints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restraints. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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