Restrain

Pronunciation: /rɪˈstreɪn/

Definitions of restrain

verb to prevent someone or something from doing something; to control or limit something

Example Sentences

A1 The teacher had to restrain the students from running in the hallway.

A2 She tried to restrain her excitement when she saw the surprise party.

B1 The police officer had to restrain the suspect during the arrest.

B2 It was difficult to restrain my anger when I heard the news.

C1 The diplomat had to restrain himself from making any comments during the sensitive negotiations.

C2 The CEO had to restrain the urge to make impulsive decisions for the company's future.

Examples of restrain in a Sentence

formal The police officer had to restrain the suspect to prevent them from escaping.

informal I had to restrain myself from eating the entire cake in one sitting.

slang Dude, you need to restrain your excitement and play it cool.

figurative She struggled to restrain her emotions during the difficult conversation.

Grammatical Forms of restrain

• past tense: restrained
• plural: restrains
• comparative: more restrained
• superlative: most restrained
• present tense: restrains
• future tense: will restrain
• perfect tense: has restrained
• continuous tense: is restraining
• singular: restrains
• positive degree: restrain
• infinitive: restrain
• gerund: restraining
• participle: restrained

Origin and Evolution of restrain

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'restrain' originated from the Old French word 'restreindre' which came from the Latin word 'restringere' meaning 'to bind back'

Evolution of the word: Initially used in the 13th century with the literal meaning of 'to bind back', the word 'restrain' evolved over time to also mean 'to hold back, control, or limit'