refrain

R1E1F4R1A1I1N1
/ɹɪˈfɹeɪn/

verb

To hold back, to restrain (someone or something).

“July 5, 1731, Jonathan Swift, letter to Vanessa If you knew how I struggle for a little health, what uneasiness I am at in riding and walking, and refraining from every thing agreeable to my taste”

Similar
holdold sawchorusforbearabstaindesist
Opposite
act
OriginMiddle English refreynen ← Anglo-Norman refrener ← Old French refrener →
Less commonFirst used 14th c.Scrabble 10
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Meanings

refrain1

verbrefrain (third-person singular simple present refrains, present participle refraining, simple past and past participle refrained)

present singular third person refrains · participle present refraining · participle past refrained · past refrained

  1. archaictransitiveTo hold back, to restrain (someone or something).First known use 14th c.

    Refrain thy foot from their path.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 1:15
    1 more example

    The presence even for a moment among a party of debauchees of a woman endued with every quality of modesty and not less severe than beautiful refrained the humorous sallies even of the most licentious but her departure was the signal for an outbreak of ribaldry.

    1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 1: Telemachus]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part I [Telemachia], page 14
  2. archaicreflexiveTo show restraint; to hold oneself back.First known use 14th c.

    And nowe I saye unto you: refrayne youreselves from these men, and let them alone [...].

    1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts
    1 more example

    As I went down the river, all dissatisfaction at my lot passed away, and by the time Dartmouth came in view I could no longer refrain myself, but threw my cap into the air, and barely caught it from falling overboard as I shouted, "Hurrah for merry England![…]"

    1899, Sabine Baring-Gould, A Book of the West, Volume 1 Chapter 18
  3. archaictransitiveTo repress (a desire, emotion etc.); to check or curb.First known use 14th c.

    Synonyms: hold

  4. intransitiveTo stop oneself from some action or interference; to abstain; to eschewFirst known use 15th c.

    July 5, 1731, Jonathan Swift, letter to Vanessa If you knew how I struggle for a little health, what uneasiness I am at in riding and walking, and refraining from every thing agreeable to my taste

    3 more examples

    Refrain from these men, and let them alone.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 5:38

    They refrained therefrom [eating flesh] some time after.

    1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC

    I will [...] tell you the story of what has happened to me, if you like, but you must refrain from interruptions.

    1895 May 29, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “The Time Traveler Returns”, in The Time Machine: An Invention, London: William Heinemann, →OCLC, page 36
  5. rareregionaltransitiveTo abstain from (food or drink).First known use 16th c.

    Who, requiring a remedy for his gout, received no other counsel than to refrain cold drink.

    1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC

refrain2

nounrefrain (plural refrains)

plural refrains

  1. The chorus or burden of a song repeated at the end of each verse or stanza.
    1 more example

    For perhaps as much as thirty seconds they kept it up. It was a refrain that was often heard in moments of overwhelming emotion. Partly it was a sort of hymn to the wisdom and majesty of Big Brother, but still more it was an act of self-hypnosis, a deliberate drowning of consciousness by means of rhythmic noise.

    1949, George Orwell, chapter 1, in Nineteen Eighty-Four
  2. broadlyA much repeated comment, complaint, or saying.

    Synonyms: old saw

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo repress (a desire, emotion etc.); to check or curb.

Similar
hold

nounA much repeated comment, complaint, or saying.

Similar
old saw

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers

Similar
chorus
Broader
music

verbresist doing something

Similar
forbear
Opposite
act
Broader
resisthold outwithstand

verbchoose not to consume

Similar
abstaindesist
Broader
choosepreferopt
Also see
abstaincatchchorusdesistforbearget off

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

refrain · verb

  1. Latinrefrēnāre
  2. Old Frenchrefrener
  3. Anglo-Normanrefrener
  4. Middle Englishrefreynen
  5. Englishrefrain

Inherited from Middle English refreynen, from Anglo-Norman refrener, Old French refrener, from Latin refrēnāre, from re- + frēnāre, from frēnum.

More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

refrain · noun

  1. Latinre-“back, again”
  2. Frenchrefrain
  3. Englishrefrain

From French refrain, from the Old French verb refraindre (“to break off, repeat”), from Latin re- (“back, again”) + frangō (“break”); compare Occitan refranhs (“a refrain”), refranher (“to repeat”). See refract and the verb refrain.

More words from French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic اِمْتَنَعَ, لَازِمَة
  • اِمْتَنَعَ(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • لَازِمَة (lāzima)burden of song
  • قَرَار (qarār)burden of song
Bulgarian въздържам се, при́пев
  • въздържам се (văzdăržam se)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • при́пев (prípev)burden of song
  • рефре́н (refrén)burden of song
Catalan tornada
  • tornadaburden of song
Chinese Mandarin 避免, 戒除
  • 避免 (bìmiǎn)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • 戒除 (jièchú)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • 副歌 (fùgē)burden of song
Czech zdržet se, vyvarovat se
  • zdržet se(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • vyvarovat se(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • upustit(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • vyhnout se(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • refrénburden of song
Danish afholde sig, afstå
  • afholde sig(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • afstå(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • refrænburden of song
  • omkvædburden of song
Dutch zich niet inlaten met, zich onthouden
  • zich niet inlaten met(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • zich onthouden(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • refreinburden of song
Esperanto refreno
  • refrenoburden of song
Estonian refrään
  • refräänburden of song
Finnish pidättäytyä, pidättyä
  • pidättäytyä(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • pidättyä(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • kertosäeburden of song
French se retenir, s'abstenir
  • se retenir(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • s'abstenir(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • refrainburden of song
German sich enthalten, verzichten
  • sich enthalten(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • verzichten(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • absehen(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • unterlassen(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • sich zurückhalten(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • Abstand nehmen(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • Refrainburden of song
  • Kehrreimburden of song
Greek επωδός
  • επωδός (epodós)burden of song
Hebrew פִּזְמוֹן, רֶפְרֵן
  • פִּזְמוֹן (pizmón)burden of song
  • רֶפְרֵן (refrén)burden of song
Hungarian refrén
  • refrénburden of song
Icelandic stef
  • stefburden of song
Irish loinneog
  • loinneogburden of song
Italian contenersi, frenarsi
  • contenersi(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • frenarsi(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • astenersi(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • ritornelloburden of song
Japanese 慎む, 差し控える
  • 慎む (tsutsushimu)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • 差し控える (sashihikaeru)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • リフレーン (rifurēn)burden of song
  • 繰り返し句 (kurikaeshiku)burden of song
Korean 후렴, 리프레인
  • 후렴 (huryeom)burden of song
  • 리프레인 (ripeurein)burden of song
Latin parcō
  • parcō(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
Latvian refrēns
  • refrēnsburden of song
Lithuanian priedainis, refrenas
  • priedainisburden of song
  • refrenasburden of song
Malay korus
  • korusburden of song
Māori whakakāti, whakakeke
  • whakakāti(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • whakakeke(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • wainamu(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • korihiburden of song
Norwegian Bokmål avholde seg, avstå
  • avholde seg(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • avstå(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • refrengburden of song
  • omkvedburden of song
Persian خودداری کردن
  • خودداری کردن (xoddâri kardan)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
Polish powstrzymywać się, powstrzymać się
  • powstrzymywać się(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • powstrzymać się(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • refrenburden of song
Portuguese abster-se, abster-se (de)
  • abster-se(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • abster-se (de)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • refrãoburden of song
Romanian refren
  • refrenburden of song
Russian припе́в, рефре́н
  • припе́в (pripév)burden of song
  • рефре́н (refrén)burden of song
Scottish Gaelic sèist
  • sèistburden of song
Slovak refrén
  • refrénburden of song
Spanish comedirse, refrenarse/enfrenarse/prescindir (de)
  • comedirse(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • refrenarse/enfrenarse/prescindir (de)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • estribilloburden of song
Swedish avhålla sig, avstå
  • avhålla sig(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • avstå(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • låta bli(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • dra sig för(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • refrängburden of song
  • omkvädeburden of song
Tagalog pabini, pabinian
  • pabiniburden of song
  • pabinianburden of song
Thai สร้อย
  • สร้อย (sɔ̂i)burden of song
Turkish nakarat
  • nakaratburden of song
Ukrainian утри́муватися, утри́матися
  • утри́муватися (utrýmuvatysja)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • утри́матися (utrýmatysja)(intransitive) to abstain (from) — see also abstain, contain oneself, retain, inhibit
  • при́спів (prýspiv)burden of song
  • рефре́н (refrén)burden of song
Vietnamese điệp khúc
  • điệp khúcburden of song

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with refrain

mainagaindomainSpainpaincampaignchainmaintaingaintrainobtainremaincontainrainmaineexplainlaneplainjaneplaneWayneUkrainegrainstrain
All rhymes →

Anagrams

ferrian
Cite this entry
APA

refrain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/refrain

MLA

“refrain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/refrain. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “refrain,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/refrain.

Source: refrain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.