Meanings
restrain1
present singular third person restrains · participle present restraining · participle past restrained · past restrained
- transitiveTo control or keep in check.
As with vicarious mismenstruation, the abnormal cessation only requires strict attention to the general health, with such measures to restrain hemorrhage as have already been indicated.
1875, Russell Thacher Trall, The Mother's Hygienic Hand-book, page 42Synonyms: check
- transitiveTo restrict or limit.
He was restrained by the straitjacket.
1 more example
In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […] The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra-wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised.
2013 May 17, George Monbiot, “Money just makes the rich suffer”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 23, page 19
restrain2
present singular third person restrains · participle present restraining · participle past restrained · past restrained
- transitiveTo strain again.
Squeeze the juice from 3 oranges and let the juice stand. Then pour it off, strain, and mix with the syrup. Restrain the liquid and chill in a mold.
1998, Elena Molokhovets, Classic Russian Cooking, page 360
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo control or keep in check.
More synonyms by meaning
verbto close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement
verbrestrict (someone or something) so as to make free movement difficult
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
restrain · verb
- Latinrēstringere“fasten, tighten”
- Old Frenchrestreindre
- Middle Englishrestreinen
- Englishrestrain
From Middle English restreinen, from Old French restreindre, from Latin rēstringere (“fasten, tighten”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κωλύω, ἐρύκω
- κωλύω (kōlúō)to control or keep in check
- ἐρύκω (erúkō)to control or keep in check
Bulgarian сдържам, въздържам
- сдържам (sdăržam)to control or keep in check
- въздържам (văzdăržam)to control or keep in check
- задържам (zadăržam)to deprive of liberty
- възпирам (văzpiram)to restrict or limit
- ограничавам (ograničavam)to restrict or limit
Catalan contenir, retenir
- contenirto control or keep in check
- retenirto control or keep in check
- reprimirto control or keep in check
- retenirto deprive of liberty
- restringirto restrict or limit
Chinese Mandarin 克制, 抑
- 克制 (kèzhì)to control or keep in check
- 抑 (yì)to deprive of liberty
Czech mít pod kontrolou, zbavit svobody
- mít pod kontrolouto control or keep in check
- zbavit svobodyto deprive of liberty
- omezitto deprive of liberty
- oklešťovatto restrict or limit
- restringovatto restrict or limit
- provést restrikcito restrict or limit
- omezitto restrict or limit
Dutch beteugelen, onderdrukken
- beteugelento control or keep in check
- onderdrukkento deprive of liberty
- beperkento restrict or limit
- begrenzento restrict or limit
- beteugelento restrict or limit
Finnish hillitä, hallita
- hillitäto control or keep in check
- hallitato control or keep in check
- kukistaato deprive of liberty
- pidättääto restrict or limit
- rajoittaato restrict or limit
French retenir, réprimer
- retenirto control or keep in check
- réprimerto deprive of liberty
- restreindreto restrict or limit
German zügeln, einschränken
- zügelnto control or keep in check
- einschränkento deprive of liberty
- behindernto deprive of liberty
- abgrenzento restrict or limit
- begrenzento restrict or limit
- eingrenzento restrict or limit
Hungarian korlátoz, korlátoz
- korlátozto deprive of liberty
- korlátozto restrict or limit
Irish coisc
- coiscto control or keep in check
Italian trattenere, sorvegliare
- trattenereto control or keep in check
- sorvegliareto control or keep in check
- trattenersito control or keep in check
- trattenereto deprive of liberty
- ridurreto restrict or limit
- contenereto restrict or limit
- restringereto restrict or limit
- limitareto restrict or limit
- delimitareto restrict or limit
Latin reprimō, teneo
- reprimōto control or keep in check
- teneoto control or keep in check
- refrēnōto control or keep in check
- compescōto deprive of liberty
Lithuanian varžyti
- varžytito restrict or limit
Māori whakatina, whakatōnga
- whakatinato control or keep in check
- whakatōngato control or keep in check
- natito control or keep in check
- nanatito control or keep in check
- whakaitato control or keep in check
- whakaitato deprive of liberty
- tautāwhito restrict or limit
Norwegian tøyla
- tøylato control or keep in check
Portuguese conter, coibir
- conterto control or keep in check
- coibirto control or keep in check
- deterto control or keep in check
- encarcerarto deprive of liberty
- reprimirto deprive of liberty
- restringirto restrict or limit
- conterto restrict or limit
Romanian reține, înfrâna
- rețineto control or keep in check
- înfrânato control or keep in check
- a ține închisto deprive of liberty
- dețineto deprive of liberty
- rețineto deprive of liberty
- restrângeto restrict or limit
- oprito restrict or limit
- împiedicato restrict or limit
- îngrădito restrict or limit
Russian сде́рживать, сдержа́ть
- сде́рживать (sdérživatʹ)to control or keep in check
- сдержа́ть (sderžátʹ)to control or keep in check
- обу́здывать (obúzdyvatʹ)to control or keep in check
- обузда́ть (obuzdátʹ)to control or keep in check
- заключа́ть (zaključátʹ)to deprive of liberty
- заключи́ть (zaključítʹ)to deprive of liberty
- заде́рживать (zadérživatʹ)to deprive of liberty
- задержа́ть (zaderžátʹ)to deprive of liberty
- лиша́ть свобо́ды (lišátʹ svobódy)to deprive of liberty
- лиши́ть свобо́ды (lišítʹ svobódy)to deprive of liberty
- сде́рживать (sdérživatʹ)to restrict or limit
- сдержа́ть (sderžátʹ)to restrict or limit
Scottish Gaelic srian, srian
- srianto control or keep in check
- srianto restrict or limit
Spanish refrenar, restreñir
- refrenarto control or keep in check
- restreñirto control or keep in check
Thai ควบคุม, กักขัง
- ควบคุม (kûuap-kum)to control or keep in check
- กักขัง (gàk-kǎng)to deprive of liberty
- ยับยั้ง (yáp-yáng)to restrict or limit
- รั้ง (ráng)to restrict or limit
- รั้งตัวto restrict or limit
Ukrainian стри́мувати, позбавля́ти во́лі
- стри́мувати (strýmuvaty)to control or keep in check
- позбавля́ти во́лі (pozbavljáty vóli)to deprive of liberty
- стри́мувати (strýmuvaty)to restrict or limit
- обме́жувати (obméžuvaty)to restrict or limit
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with restrain
Anagrams
Cite this entry
restrain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/restrain
“restrain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/restrain. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “restrain,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/restrain.
Source: restrain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.