Standard Lemma guide

refrain

noun · verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɹɪˈfɹeɪn/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪn
  • CMU ARPABET: R IH0 F R EY1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The chorus or burden of a song repeated at the end of each verse or stanza.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A much repeated comment, complaint, or saying.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: old saw

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To hold back, to restrain (someone or something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To show restraint; to hold oneself back.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, reflexive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To repress (a desire, emotion etc.); to check or curb.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hold

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To stop oneself from some action or interference; to abstain; to eschew

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • July 5, 1731, Jonathan Swift, letter to Vanessa If you knew how I struggle for a little health, what uneasiness I am at in riding and walking, and refraining from every thing agreeable to my taste

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To abstain from (food or drink).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare, regional, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chorus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: music

Narrower terms: tra-la, tra-la-la

9

verb

Meaning 9

choose not to consume

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I abstain from alcohol

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abstain, desist

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: fast, keep off, avoid, teetotal

10

verb

Meaning 10

resist doing something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He refrained from hitting him back
  • she could not forbear weeping

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: forbear

Antonyms: act

Narrower terms: leave, leave alone, leave behind, let it go, abstain, spare, save, forbear, hold back, help oneself, help, stand by, sit out

History

Etymology

From French refrain, from the Old French verb refraindre (“to break off, repeat”), from Latin re- (“back, again”) + frangō (“break”); compare Occitan refranhs (“a refrain”), refranher (“to repeat”). See refract and the verb refrain.

Inherited from Middle English refreynen, from Anglo-Norman refrener, Old French refrener, from Latin refrēnāre, from re- + frēnāre, from frēnum.

Across languages

Translations

162 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: refren — burden of song
  • Arabic: لَازِمَة (lāzima) — burden of song
  • Arabic: قَرَار (qarār) — burden of song
  • Armenian: կրկներգ (krknerg) — burden of song
  • Azerbaijani: nəqərat — burden of song
  • Belarusian: прыпе́ў (prypjéw) — burden of song
  • Belarusian: рэфрэ́н (refrén) — burden of song
  • Bulgarian: при́пев (prípev) — burden of song
  • Bulgarian: рефре́н (refrén) — burden of song
  • Catalan: tornada — burden of song
  • Chinese Mandarin: 副歌 (fùgē) — burden of song
  • Czech: refrén — burden of song
  • Danish: refræn — burden of song
  • Danish: omkvæd — burden of song
  • Dutch: refrein — burden of song
  • Erzya: мороютко (morojutko) — burden of song
  • Esperanto: refreno — burden of song
  • Estonian: refrään — burden of song
  • Finnish: kertosäe — burden of song
  • French: refrain — burden of song
  • Galician: trebello — burden of song
  • Galician: lelia — burden of song
  • Galician: fao — burden of song
  • Galician: retrouso — burden of song
  • Georgian: რეფრენი (repreni) — burden of song
  • Georgian: მისამღერი (misamɣeri) — burden of song
  • German: Refrain — burden of song
  • German: Kehrreim — burden of song
  • Greek: επωδός (epodós) — burden of song
  • Hebrew: פִּזְמוֹן (pizmón) — burden of song
  • Hebrew: רֶפְרֵן (refrén) — burden of song
  • Hungarian: refrén — burden of song
  • Icelandic: stef — burden of song
  • Ido: refreno — burden of song
  • Irish: loinneog — burden of song
  • Italian: ritornello — burden of song
  • Japanese: リフレーン (rifurēn) — burden of song
  • Japanese: 繰り返し句 (kurikaeshiku) — burden of song
  • Kazakh: қайырма (qaiyrma) — burden of song
  • Khmer: ឆា៎ (cha) — burden of song
  • Khmer: សាដាន (saadaan) — burden of song
  • Korean: 후렴 (huryeom) — burden of song
  • Korean: 리프레인 (ripeurein) — burden of song
  • Kyrgyz: кайырма (kayırma) — burden of song
  • Lao: ອະນຸບົດ (ʼa nu bot) — burden of song
  • Lao: ສອຽ (sǭi) — burden of song
  • Latvian: refrēns — burden of song
  • Lithuanian: priedainis — burden of song
  • Lithuanian: refrenas — burden of song
  • Macedonian: рефре́н (refrén) — burden of song
  • Malay: korus — burden of song
  • Māori: korihi — burden of song
  • Norman: èrfrain — burden of song
  • Norwegian Bokmål: refreng — burden of song
  • Norwegian Bokmål: omkved — burden of song
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: refreng — burden of song
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: omkvede — burden of song
  • Old Norse: stef — burden of song
  • Polish: refren — burden of song
  • Portuguese: refrão — burden of song
  • Romanian: refren — burden of song
  • Russian: припе́в (pripév) — burden of song
  • Russian: рефре́н (refrén) — burden of song
  • Scottish Gaelic: sèist — burden of song
  • Serbo-Croatian: рѐфре̄н — burden of song
  • Serbo-Croatian: при́пев — burden of song
  • Serbo-Croatian: при́пјев — burden of song
  • Serbo-Croatian: rèfrēn — burden of song
  • Serbo-Croatian: prípev — burden of song
  • Serbo-Croatian: prípjev — burden of song
  • Slovak: refrén — burden of song
  • Slovene: refren — burden of song
  • Southern Altai: припев (pripev) — burden of song
  • Spanish: estribillo — burden of song
  • Swedish: refräng — burden of song
  • Swedish: omkväde — burden of song
  • Tagalog: pabini — burden of song
  • Tagalog: pabinian — burden of song
  • Tajik: нақарот (naqarot) — burden of song
  • Tatar: кушымта (quşımta) — burden of song
  • Thai: สร้อย (sɔ̂i) — burden of song
  • Turkish: nakarat — burden of song
  • Ukrainian: при́спів (prýspiv) — burden of song
  • Ukrainian: рефре́н (refrén) — burden of song
  • Uzbek: naqarot — burden of song
  • Vietnamese: điệp khúc — burden of song
  • Walloon: resploe — burden of song
  • Walloon: rifrin — burden of song
  • Spanish: contenerse — (''reflexive, archaic'') to show restraint; to hold oneself back
  • Arabic: اِمْتَنَعَ — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Azerbaijani: saqınmaq — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Bulgarian: въздържам се (vǎzdǎržam se) — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Chinese Mandarin: 避免 (bìmiǎn) — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Chinese Mandarin: 戒除 (jièchú) — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Czech: zdržet se — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Czech: vyvarovat se — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Czech: upustit — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Czech: vyhnout se — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Danish: afholde sig — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Danish: afstå — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Dutch: zich onthouden — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Finnish: pidättyä — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • French: s'abstenir — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • German: sich enthalten — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • German: verzichten — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • German: absehen — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • German: unterlassen — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • German: sich zurückhalten — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • German: Abstand nehmen — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Italian: astenersi — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Japanese: 慎む (tsutsushimu) — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Japanese: 差し控える (sashihikaeru) — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Latin: parcō — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Māori: wainamu — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Norwegian Bokmål: avholde seg — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Norwegian Bokmål: avstå — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Polish: powstrzymywać się — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Polish: powstrzymać się — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Portuguese: abster-se (de) — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Slovene: vzdržati se — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Spanish: abstenerse — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Spanish: prescindir — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Spanish: inhibirse — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Swedish: avhålla sig — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Swedish: avstå — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Swedish: låta bli — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Swedish: dra sig för — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Ukrainian: утри́муватися (utrýmuvatysja) — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Ukrainian: утри́матися (utrýmatysja) — to abstain (from) — see also abstain
  • Arabic: اِمْتَنَعَ — to keep oneself from action
  • Bulgarian: въздържам се (vǎzdǎržam se) — to keep oneself from action
  • Czech: zdržet se — to keep oneself from action
  • Czech: vyvarovat se — to keep oneself from action
  • Czech: upustit — to keep oneself from action
  • Czech: vyhnout se — to keep oneself from action
  • Dutch: zich niet inlaten met — to keep oneself from action
  • Finnish: pidättäytyä — to keep oneself from action
  • French: se retenir — to keep oneself from action
  • French: s'abstenir — to keep oneself from action
  • German: sich enthalten — to keep oneself from action
  • German: verzichten — to keep oneself from action
  • German: absehen — to keep oneself from action
  • German: unterlassen — to keep oneself from action
  • German: sich zurückhalten — to keep oneself from action
  • German: Abstand nehmen — to keep oneself from action
  • Italian: contenersi — to keep oneself from action
  • Italian: frenarsi — to keep oneself from action
  • Māori: whakakāti — to keep oneself from action
  • Māori: whakakeke — to keep oneself from action
  • Norwegian Bokmål: avholde seg — to keep oneself from action
  • Persian: خودداری کردن (xoddâri kardan) — to keep oneself from action
  • Polish: powstrzymywać się — to keep oneself from action
  • Polish: powstrzymać się — to keep oneself from action
  • Portuguese: abster-se — to keep oneself from action
  • Slovene: vzdržati se — to keep oneself from action
  • Spanish: abstenerse de — to keep oneself from action
  • Spanish: retenerse — to keep oneself from action
  • Spanish: contener — to keep oneself from action
  • Spanish: comedirse — to keep oneself from action
  • Spanish: refrenarse de — to keep oneself from action
  • Spanish: enfrenarse de — to keep oneself from action
  • ǃXóõ: ǀa̰ã — to keep oneself from action
Real reading context

refrain in complete knowledge articles