restraint
Americannoun
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a restraining action or influence.
freedom from restraint.
-
Sometimes restraints. a means of or device for restraining, as a harness for the body.
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the act of restraining, holding back, controlling, or checking.
-
the state or fact of being restrained; restrained; deprivation of liberty; confinement.
- Synonyms:
- incarceration, imprisonment, restriction, circumscription
- Antonyms:
- liberty
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constraint or reserve in feelings, behavior, etc.
noun
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the ability to control or moderate one's impulses, passions, etc
to show restraint
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the act of restraining or the state of being restrained
-
something that restrains; restriction
Other Word Forms
- overrestraint noun
- prerestraint noun
Etymology
Origin of restraint
1350–1400; Middle English restreinte < Middle French restrainte, noun use of feminine past participle of restraindre to restrain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But they also expect continued restraint from shoppers.
From MarketWatch
"I strongly urge all parties to exercise restraint and to work to avoid that outcome," he said.
From BBC
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called for restraint and urged all parties "to see reason, to de-escalate, and for a return to the 'negotiating table'".
From BBC
Meanwhile, European governments expressed concern about the potential for further escalation and urged restraint.
From Salon
In the past, there has been relative restraint around attacking export infrastructure in recent Western military action.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
