restrain, check, curb, bridle mean to hold back from or control in doing something. restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes.

RESTRAIN definition: 1. to control the actions or behaviour of someone by force, especially in order to stop them from…. Learn more.

Restrain implies restriction or limitation, as on one's freedom of action: "a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another" (Thomas Jefferson).

RESTRAIN definition: to hold back from action; keep in check or under control; repress. See examples of restrain used in a sentence.

Definition of restrain verb in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Restrain definition: To hold, fasten, or secure so as to prevent or limit movement.

If you restrain an emotion or you restrain yourself from doing something, you prevent yourself from showing that emotion or doing what you wanted or intended to do.

Restrain can also mean to restrict or hold back someone else, to prevent someone from doing what they're intending to do. Prison guards have to restrain a prisoner who is trying to attack one of his …

Nov 16, 2025 · restrain (third-person singular simple present restrains, present participle restraining, simple past and past participle restrained) (transitive) To strain again. quotations

Some common synonyms of restrain are bridle, check, and curb. While all these words mean "to hold back from or control in doing something," restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from …