MEANING
To prevent movement, control an impulse, or limit an action.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- restrain an impulse
- restrain movement
On the page
She restrained the impulse to interrupt.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- restrain
- Past tense
- restrained
- Past participle
- restrained
- Present participle
- restraining
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- restrain
- Present continuous
- am/is/are restraining
- Present perfect
- have/has restrained
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been restraining
- Past
- restrained
- Past continuous
- was/were restraining
- Past perfect
- had restrained
- Past perfect continuous
- had been restraining
- Future
- will restrain
- Future continuous
- will be restraining
- Future perfect
- will have restrained
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been restraining
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: restrain; restrains; restrained; restrained; restraining Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: restrains.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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