Restrain Meaning
/ɹɪˈstɹeɪn/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo control or keep in check.
verbTo deprive of liberty.
Sentence Examples
You should learn to restrain yourself.
I told Jim to restrain himself from drinking too much.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The police officer had to ____ the angry man from attacking the suspect in the street.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The police had to ____ the angry crowd to prevent them from storming the entrance to the building.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English restreinen, from Old French restreindre, from Latin rēstringere (“fasten, tighten”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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 42:
"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:
"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:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The police officer had to ____ the angry man from attacking the suspect in the street.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The police had to ____ the angry crowd to prevent them from storming the entrance to the building.