restrain

Intermediatezipf 3.27

Pronunciation

/rɪˈstreɪn/(rih-STRAYN)

Part of speech

verbneutral

Chinese

克制；限制；约束

Definition

To hold back from action; to keep under control or within limits; to prevent from moving.

Word family

  • restraint/rɪˈstreɪnt/(n)克制
  • restrained/rɪˈstreɪnd/(adj)克制的

Collocations

  • restrain oneself
  • restrain spending
  • restrain growth
  • exercise restraint
  • with restraint
  • physically restrain

Examples

  1. 1.She had to restrain herself from responding angrily to the provocative remark. (hold back)
  2. 2.The government imposed measures to restrain inflation from rising above 3%. (keep under control)

Synonyms

  • control/kənˈtroʊl/— to regulate — more general
  • curb/kɜːrb/— to check or hold back — more informal
  • suppress/səˈprɛs/— to prevent from being expressed — stronger

Etymology

from Latin "restringere" (to draw back tightly) — re- (back) + stringere (to draw tight) — pulling back tightly