refrain
verb [I] /rɪˈfreɪn/ formalDefinition
C2 to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something: We refrained from talking until we knew that it was safe. The sign on the wall said "Please refrain from smoking."Abstaining and refraining
(Definition of refrain verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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You are looking at an entry to do with Abstaining and refraining, but you might be interested in these topics from the Doing and achieving topic area:
- Acting and acts
- Avoiding action
- Becoming better
- Cancelling and interrupting
- Competing and contending (non-sporting)
- Coping and not coping
- Delaying and wasting time
- Describing the leading position
- Efficient and effective
- Expressions telling people to hurry up
- Failing and doing badly
- Failures
- Getting involved for one's own benefit or against others' will
- Hesitating
- Higher and lower points of achievement
- Hurrying and doing things quickly
- Making progress and advancing
- Making things better
- Performing a function
- Potential
- Reacting and responding
- Repeating an action
- Succeeding, achieving and fulfilling
- Success and achievements
- Successful (things or people)
- Surpassing in quality or number
- Taking part and getting involved
- Trying and making an effort
- Unsuccessful (people and things)
- Waiting
- Ways of achieving things
Browse the Thesaurus
More Results for “refrain”
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- abstain verb (NOT DO)
- abstemious adjective
- abstention noun (NOT DOING)
- abstinence noun
- back off phrasal verb
- desist verb
- forbear verb
- forbearance noun
- forbore
- forborne
- keep (sb/sth) out of sth phrasal verb
- not be in the business of sth idiom
- not lift/raise a finger idiom
- on the wagon idiom
- play hard to get idiom
- stop short of sth idiom
- swear off sth phrasal verb
- touch verb (EAT/DRINK)
- truck noun (INVOLVEMENT)
- wouldn't touch sth with a barge pole idiom
Topic:
Abstaining and refraining
Word of the Day
throw caution to the wind/winds
to do something without worrying about the risk or negative results
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