noun
Meaning 1
Something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Examples
- Make sure all the restraints are tight.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: fetter
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
restraint
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.
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/ɹɪˈstɹeɪnt/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -eɪnt
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CMU ARPABET: R IH0 S T R EY1 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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CMU ARPABET 2: R IY0 S T R EY1 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Control or caution; reserve.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Examples
- Try to exercise restraint when talking to your boss.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: withstraint
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
the act of controlling by restraining someone or something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the unlawful restraint of trade
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: control
Narrower terms: collar, leash, damper, bridle, check, curb, immobilization, immobilisation, immobilizing, confinement, containment, suppression, curtailment, restraint of trade, restriction
noun
Meaning 4
a device that retards something's motion
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the car did not have proper restraints fitted
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: constraint
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: device
Narrower terms: air bag, airbrake, dive brake, arrester, arrester hook, band, brake, brake pad, brake shoe, shoe, skid, catch, stop, chain, fastener, fastening, holdfast, fixing, gag, muzzle, leash, tether, lead, lock, ignition lock, safety belt, life belt, safety harness, sea anchor, drogue, shackle, bond, hamper, trammel
noun
Meaning 5
lack of ornamentation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the room was simply decorated with great restraint
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: chasteness, simplicity, simpleness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: plainness
noun
Meaning 6
discipline in personal and social activities
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he was a model of polite restraint
- she never lost control of herself
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: control
Antonyms: unrestraint
Broader terms: discipline
Narrower terms: self-restraint, temperateness, temperance, moderation, inhibition, continence
noun
Meaning 7
a rule or condition that limits freedom
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- legal restraints
- restraints imposed on imports
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: restriction, limitation
Narrower terms: floodgate
noun
Meaning 8
the state of being physically constrained
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- dogs should be kept under restraint
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: constraint
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: confinement
Narrower terms: cage
History
Etymology
From Middle English restreynte, from Old French restreinte; more at restrain.
Across languages
Translations
79 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: закрепване (zakrepvane) — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Bulgarian: ограничение (ograničenie) — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Chinese Mandarin: 限制 (xiànzhì) — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Czech: připoutání — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Czech: spoutání — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Czech: pouta — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Dutch: beperking — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Dutch: inhouding — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Finnish: side — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Finnish: pidäke — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- French: contention — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Beschränkung — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Zügelung — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Einschränkung — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Zwang — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Befestigung — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Zurückhaltung — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Hemmung — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Verbot — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Hemmnis — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Behinderung — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Auflage — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Verhinderung — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Gebundenheit — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- German: Zwängung — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Italian: limitazione — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Italian: ritegno — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Italian: contegno — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Italian: remora — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Polish: ograniczenie — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Portuguese: amarra — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Russian: ограниче́ние (ograničénije) — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Russian: сде́рживание (sdérživanije) — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Scottish Gaelic: amaladh — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Scottish Gaelic: bacadh — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Scottish Gaelic: casg — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Ottoman Turkish: باصقی (baskı) — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Walloon: tinaedje-astok — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Welsh: cyfyngiad — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Welsh: atalfa — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Welsh: ffrwyn — something that restrains, ties, fastens or secures
- Bulgarian: сдържаност (sdǎržanost) — control or caution
- Catalan: reserva — control or caution
- Catalan: retinguda — control or caution
- Catalan: retenció — control or caution
- Catalan: reteniment — control or caution
- Catalan: refrenament — control or caution
- Catalan: moderació — control or caution
- Catalan: domini de si — control or caution
- Chinese Mandarin: 克制 (kèzhì) — control or caution
- Dutch: zelfbeheersing — control or caution
- Dutch: beheersing — control or caution
- Esperanto: sindeteno — control or caution
- Finnish: itsehillintä — control or caution
- Finnish: maltti — control or caution
- Finnish: pidättyväisyys — control or caution
- Finnish: harkinta — control or caution
- French: refrènement — control or caution
- French: retenue — control or caution
- German: Zurückhaltung — control or caution
- German: Beherrschung — control or caution
- German: Kontrolle — control or caution
- German: Selbstbeherrschung — control or caution
- Hungarian: önuralom — control or caution
- Irish: srianadh — control or caution
- Italian: ritegno — control or caution
- Italian: ritegni — control or caution
- Japanese: 我慢 (gaman) — control or caution
- Kazakh: ұстам (ūstam) — control or caution
- Kazakh: ұстамдылық (ūstamdylyq) — control or caution
- Latin: abstinentia — control or caution
- Lithuanian: santūrumas — control or caution
- Occitan: resèrva — control or caution
- Old English: forhæfednes — control or caution
- Polish: opanowanie — control or caution
- Russian: сде́ржанность (sdéržannostʹ) — control or caution
- Thai: การยับยั้งชั่งใจ — control or caution
- Thai: ความยับยั้งชั่งใจ — control or caution
- Welsh: ymatal — control or caution
Real reading context