to restrain

Examples

• All

• Restrain him!

  The Book of Clarence (2024)

• Go home and tell your mother that all dogs must be restrained on a leash downtown.

  Fiction book (1995)

• So something has to be done to restrain them from lying like that.

• I have to make sure that the guys restrain her well and no one gets hurt.

  Tabula Rasa (2018)

• What options are available to restrain car use, and what will their consequences be?

  Academic text (1990)

• With no better way to restrain him, Alex simply sat on him till help arrived.

  Fiction book (1990)

• We agree with you that he has to be restrained.

  The Quiet American (1958)

• You know that he had to be restrained from rushing the stage.

• I'm afraid we've had to restrain him.

  Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies (2012)

• He needs to be restrained!

  Smile (2022)

Synonyms

K

to keep

vsto restrain

∞ 1.0

To protect someone or something from harm

is focused on stopping free action or movement, not just protection

H

to hold

vsto restrain

∞ 1.9

To stop yourself from showing a feeling or reaction

is specifically about stopping free action by physical or other controls

C

to confine

vsto restrain

215 4.2

Keep someone or something within limits, for example in a small space

can stop movement in many ways, not only by location limits

H

to handcuff

vsto restrain

110 3.6

To put metal rings that lock around someone's wrists to stop them moving

includes both direct cuffs and broader methods to stop free action

C

to confine to

vsto restrain

106 4.8

To keep something within set limits, for example in a room or a topic

is broader, preventing free action both inside and outside set areas

C

to check

vsto restrain

104 3.7

Stop something from growing or spreading

includes stopping physical movement as well as slowing progress

R

to rein

vsto restrain

69 4.9

To control and hold back people or things

covers preventing free action by various means not only guided control

C

to constrain

vsto restrain

64 5.6

To limit what someone can do or how they can act

is often physical or general prevention, not only choice limitation

R

to rein in

vsto restrain

53 4.6

To keep someone or something under control, for example by limiting spending

is the broader idea of stopping free action, not only pulling back

D

to detain

vsto restrain

45 4.4

To delay someone or something so they are late

is broader, covering active stopping or physical prevention as well

S

to subdue

vsto restrain

37 5.5

To bring a person or thing under control, often by force

focuses on preventing free action rather than defeating or suppressing

S

to shackle

vsto restrain

35 6.2

To restrain someone with chains or limit their freedom

uses physical or other controls more generally to stop free action

H

to hold down

vsto restrain

22 3.2

To keep something low and stop it from getting bigger

is broader, including stopping movement or free action beyond growth limits

I

to immobilize

vsto restrain

21 6.0

To stop movement or action

can prevent action but also covers softer controls not causing immobility

R

to repress

vsto restrain

19 6.7

Use force to stop protests or opposition

is wider, applying to individual movement prevention as well as suppression

C

to clamp down

vsto restrain

18 4.2

To use strict rules and punishments to stop bad or illegal actions

can include physical restraint but also general prevention methods

I

to inhibit

vsto restrain

11 6.3

Make someone unable to act naturally or show feelings

is often physical or institutional rather than mainly psychological inhibition

F

to fetter

vsto restrain

3 8.7

To tie or chain someone's feet to stop them moving freely

covers physical or nonphysical methods rather than only ankle chains

T

to tie someone's hands

vsto restrain

1 4.8

Stop someone from acting or making decisions

is more general and can include physical or institutional prevention

M

to manacle

vsto restrain

1 9.3

To put locked metal rings around someone's wrists to stop them moving

is broader, including nonmetal or nonphysical methods to prevent movement

P

to pinion

vsto restrain

• NSFW

1 9.5

To tie someone's arms or legs so they cannot move

can be physical but also includes other control methods beyond binding

B

to bind hand and foot

vsto restrain

• Informal

1 8.0

To stop someone completely from acting freely

may allow partial restriction or use other controls instead of total restraint

T

to tramell

vsto restrain

• UK

9.9

To hold back or make it hard for someone to act freely

is broader, including deliberate control or rules not only entanglement

Antonyms

L

to liberate

104 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

How Restrained

to immobilize

21 6.0

to restrain

86 4.6

to restrict

361 3.1

to tie

923 1.0

to hold

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology