restrain
restrained; restraining; restrains
Restrain means to hold yourself back, which is exactly what you'd have to do if, after weeks of dieting, you found yourself face to face with a dessert case filled with pies, cakes, and cookies.
Restrain can also mean to restrict or hold back someone else, to prevent someone from doing what they're intending to do. Prison guards have to restrain a prisoner who is trying to attack one of his fellow inmates. That prisoner might even be put in handcuffs — a kind of restraint. You can restrain yourself, for example if you're watching a Broadway show and suddenly feel the urge to sing along. Your fellow audience members would be grateful for your restraint, especially if you've got a terrible voice.
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hold back
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close within bounds, limit, or hold back from movement
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types:
- show 13 types...
- hide 13 types...
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bind, tie down, tie up, truss
secure with or as if with ropes
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fetter, shackle
restrain with fetters
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enchain
restrain or bind with chains
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pinion, shackle
bind the arms of
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impound, pound
place or shut up in a pound
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pound, pound up
shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits
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fold, pen up
confine in a fold, like sheep
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ground
confine or restrict to the ground
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chain up
tie up with chains
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faggot, faggot up, fagot
bind or tie up in or as if in a faggot
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faggot, fagot
fasten together rods of iron in order to heat or weld them
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hog-tie
tie together somebody's limbs
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cuff, handcuff, manacle
confine or restrain with or as if with manacles or handcuffs
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type of:
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disable, disenable, incapacitate
make unable to perform a certain action
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keep under control; keep in check
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types:
- show 23 types...
- hide 23 types...
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hold
keep from exhaling or expelling
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confine
prevent from leaving or from being removed
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bottle up, inhibit, suppress
control and refrain from showing; of emotions, desires, impulses, or behavior
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check, contain, control, curb, hold, hold in, moderate
lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits
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bound, confine, limit, restrict, throttle, trammel
place limits on (extent or access)
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conquer, curb, inhibit, stamp down, subdue, suppress
to put down by force or authority
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damp
restrain or discourage
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cabin
confine to a small space, such as a cabin
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closet
confine to a small space, as for intensive work
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coop in, coop up
confine in or as if in a coop
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lock, lock away, lock in, lock up, put away, shut away, shut up
place in a place where something cannot be removed or someone cannot escape
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lock in, seal in
close with or as if with a tight seal
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crucify, mortify, subdue
hold within limits and control
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abnegate, deny
deny oneself (something); restrain, especially from indulging in some pleasure
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hold back, keep, keep back
keep under control; keep in check
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quench
electronics: suppress (sparking) when the current is cut off in an inductive circuit, or suppress (an oscillation or discharge) in a component or device
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choke
check or slow down the action or effect of
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restrict
place under restrictions; limit access to
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train
cause to grow in a certain way by tying and pruning it
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catch
check oneself during an action
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bate
moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
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thermostat
control the temperature with a thermostat
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counteract, countercheck
oppose or check by a counteraction
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compel or deter by or as if by threats
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synonyms:
intimidate
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types:
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dash, daunt, frighten away, frighten off, pall, scare, scare away, scare off
cause to lose courage
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type of:
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discourage
deprive of courage or hope; take away hope from; cause to feel discouraged
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dash, daunt, frighten away, frighten off, pall, scare, scare away, scare off
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place limits on (extent or access)
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types:
- show 15 types...
- hide 15 types...
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reduce, tighten
narrow or limit
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tie
limit or restrict to
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gate
restrict (school boys') movement to the dormitory or campus as a means of punishment
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draw a line, draw the line
reasonably object (to) or set a limit (on)
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mark off, mark out
set boundaries to and delimit
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harness, rein, rule
keep in check
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baffle, regulate
check the emission of (sound)
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cramp, halter, hamper, strangle
prevent the progress or free movement of
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constrain, stiffen, tighten, tighten up
restrict
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clamp down, crack down
repress or suppress (something regarded as undesirable)
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constrict, inhibit
limit the range or extent of
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constrain, cumber, encumber
hold back
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bridle
put a bridle on
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curb
keep to the curb
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clog
impede the motion of, as with a chain or a burden
Vocabulary lists containing restrain
In this novel, a boy with facial anomalies tries to navigate the sometimes treacherous world of public school. Here is a link to Auggie & Me by R.J. Palacio.
In the 1960s, an Iñupiaq boy is sent to a boarding school where he is forbidden from acknowledging his native language and customs.
In this play, Oscar Wilde explores the relationship between a husband and wife who each have reason to suspect the other of being unfaithful.
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