Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

restrain

verb [T]
 
 /rɪˈstreɪn/

Definition

to control the actions or behavior of someone by force, esp. in order to stop that person from doing something: Seamons got into a shouting match and had to be restrained by his teammates. I could hardly restrain my laughter. To restrain is also to limit the growth or force of something: Politicians are reluctant to restrain spending.
(Definition of restrain verb from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
Focus on the pronunciation of restrain

“restrain” in other dictionaries

Word of the Day

demur

to express disagreement or refuse to do something

Word of the Day

Blog

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Learn More

New Words

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.

Learn More