Library / English Dictionary

RESTRAIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Prevent the action or expression of

Example:

she struggled to restrain her impatience at the delays

Synonyms:

hold back; keep; keep back; restrain

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "restrain"):

hold (keep from exhaling or expelling)

blink; blink away; wink (keep back by blinking)

harness; rein; rule (keep in check)

baffle; regulate (restrain the emission of (sound, fluid, etc.))

swallow (keep from expressing)

confine (prevent from leaving or from being removed)

check; contain; control; curb; hold; hold in; moderate (lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

restrainer (a person who directs and restrains)

restraint (the act of controlling by restraining someone or something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Restrict (someone or something) so as to make free movement difficult

Synonyms:

cumber; encumber; restrain

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "restrain" is one way to...):

bound; confine; limit; restrict; throttle; trammel (place limits on (extent or amount or access))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "restrain"):

clog (impede the motion of, as with a chain or a burden)

curb (keep to the curb)

bridle (put a bridle on)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

restrainer (a person who directs and restrains)

Sense 3

Meaning:

To close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement

Example:

The terrorists held the journalists for ransom

Synonyms:

confine; constrain; hold; restrain

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "restrain" is one way to...):

disable; disenable; incapacitate (make unable to perform a certain action)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "restrain"):

bind; tie down; tie up; truss (secure with or as if with ropes)

fetter; shackle (restrain with fetters)

enchain (restrain or bind with chains)

pinion; shackle (bind the arms of)

impound; pound (place or shut up in a pound)

pound; pound up (shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits)

fold; pen up (confine in a fold, like sheep)

ground (confine or restrict to the ground)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They want to restrain the prisoners

Derivation:

restrainer (a person who directs and restrains)

restraint (the state of being physically constrained)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Prevent (someone or something) from doing something

Example:

security guards restrained the reporter from throwing another shoe

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "restrain" is one way to...):

keep; prevent (stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

restrainer (a person who directs and restrains)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Her eyes were red and swollen; and it seemed as if her tears were even then restrained with difficulty.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

I had to restrain my impatience for some time, on account of Twenty Seven being reserved for a concluding effect.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

They also found that PHD proteins limit the development of inflammatory T cells and restrain their ability to produce molecules involved in cancer killing.

(Oxygen can impair cancer immunotherapy in mice, NIH)

It restrained him, opposed the will of him toward personal liberty.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

It seemed to me that he was making desperate efforts to restrain a convulsive attack of laughter.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In Eleanor's presence friendship and pride had equally restrained her tears, but no sooner was she gone than they burst forth in torrents.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

The explosion of disapproval, which nothing but Silver's black looks had restrained, broke out immediately the doctor had left the house.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

But if I can be the means of restraining the publicity of the business, of limiting the exhibition, of concentrating our folly, I shall be well repaid.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

A small fold of tissue that limits the movements of an organ or body part; for example, the lingual frenulum connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth and restrains its movement.

(Frenulum, NCI Thesaurus)

Impaired Cell Membrane Integrity consists of activities that interfere with, or restrain, fabrication, construction, or maintenance of the regular structure and function of semipermeable lipid bilayer membranes that surround or reside within a cell.

(Impaired Cell Membrane Integrity, NCI Thesaurus)