restrain
gb/ɹistɹˈeɪn/ us/ɹistɹˈeɪn/
B2
English
~ 5900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
action
1
hold back a person or animal
To hold or keep a person or animal so they cannot move freely or do what they want.
Usage pattern:
to restrain [someone/something] (from) [doing something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"He restrained to hit him"*. The correct pattern is *"He restrained him"* or *"He restrained him from hitting her."* Also, do not confuse **restrain** with **restrict**: **restrain** is about holding back people or actions, while **restrict** is about setting limits or rules.
Synonyms
hold back (More informal and physical; often used when someone is being pulled or pushed away.)
|
subdue (Stronger; suggests bringing someone under control after resistance or struggle.)
Antonyms
release (Means to let someone go free after being held or controlled.)
|
let go (Informal; means to stop holding or controlling someone so they can move freely.)
Collocations
restrain a suspect
|restrain a prisoner
|restrain a patient
|restrain a child
|physically restrain someone
|restrain someone from attacking
Themes
law
|safety
|crime
|daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Security guards had to restrain the fan when he ran onto the field.
- Police officers restrained the suspect until the handcuffs were on.
- Nurses gently restrained the patient to stop him pulling out the tubes.
- It took three people to restrain the dog during the examination.
- He grabbed his friend's arm to restrain him from hitting the man.
Learner examples
- Two men restrained the thief until the police came.
- The teacher restrained the boy so he would not hit anyone.
- They had to restrain the dog when the doorbell rang.
- A guard restrained him from running onto the road.
Verb
B2
action
2
control emotions or impulses
To stop yourself or another person from doing something you want to do or from showing strong feelings.
Usage pattern:
to restrain [oneself/someone] from [doing something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse **restrain** with **refrain**. **Restrain yourself from doing something** means you actively hold yourself back. **Refrain from doing something** is more formal and sounds like a polite rule or request. Also, avoid *"restrain to do"*; use *"restrain yourself from doing"*.
Synonyms
control (Very general; can refer to emotions, actions, or situations, not just holding back impulses.)
|
suppress (More formal; often used for emotions or thoughts that are pushed down or hidden.)
Antonyms
indulge (Means to allow yourself to do what you want or to give in to a desire or feeling.)
|
give in (Informal; means to stop resisting an emotion or desire and let it control your actions.)
Collocations
restrain yourself
|restrain my anger
|restrain her laughter
|restrain his curiosity
|could not restrain himself
|restrain your feelings
Themes
emotions
|psychology
|behaviour
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She struggled to restrain her anger during the meeting.
- He could not restrain himself from correcting her in front of everyone.
- I had to restrain myself from laughing when he fell off the chair.
- They urged him to restrain his desire for revenge.
- He spoke slowly, clearly restraining his frustration.
Learner examples
- Please restrain yourself and stay calm.
- She tried to restrain her tears in public.
- I could not restrain myself from eating the cake.
- He restrained his anger and did not shout.
Verb
C1
action
3
limit or control something
To make sure that something, like spending or prices, does not grow too fast or become too strong.
Usage pattern:
to restrain [something]
Common mistake:
Learners often choose **restrict** instead of **restrain** in economic or policy contexts. **Restrict** usually means setting clear rules or limits. **Restrain** focuses more on controlling or holding back growth or movement. For example, say *"restrain inflation"* but *"restrict imports"* is more common.
Synonyms
curb (Very close in meaning; commonly used for limiting negative trends like inflation, spending, or crime.)
|
limit (Broader and more neutral; does not always suggest that something is already too high.)
Antonyms
stimulate (Often used in economics to mean increasing or encouraging growth, the opposite of holding it back.)
|
boost (Means to raise or increase something, such as sales or growth.)
Collocations
restrain spending
|restrain inflation
|restrain growth
|restrain costs
|restrain demand
|restrain military power
Themes
business
|economics
|politics
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The government introduced new taxes to restrain consumer spending.
- Interest rates were raised to help restrain inflation.
- Strict rules were brought in to restrain the growth of online gambling.
- Managers are trying to restrain costs without cutting jobs.
- Environmental regulations aim to restrain industrial pollution.
Learner examples
- The company is trying to restrain its costs.
- Higher prices may restrain demand for cars.
- New laws helped restrain inflation.
- We must restrain our spending this year.
Verb
formal
C1
action
4
legally prevent an action
To stop someone from doing something by using the law or official power.
Usage pattern:
to restrain [someone] from [doing something]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this sense is formal and mainly legal. In everyday speech, it is more natural to say *"the court stopped him from"* or *"the court banned him from"* rather than *"restrained him from"*.
Synonyms
prohibit (More general legal term; often used in laws and rules that completely forbid an action.)
|
enjoin (Technical legal verb; in many legal systems, courts can enjoin a person from doing something.)
Antonyms
authorize (Means to officially allow or give permission for an action.)
|
permit (More general and less formal; means to allow something to happen.)
Collocations
restrain someone from doing something
|restrain a company from
|restrain the government from
|court restrains
|order restraining someone from
|judgment restraining further action
Themes
law
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The court restrained the company from using the trademark.
- An injunction was granted to restrain him from contacting his former partner.
- The judge refused to restrain the newspaper from publishing the story.
- The order restrains the government from deporting the asylum seekers.
- Shareholders sought to restrain the board from selling key assets.
Learner examples
- The court restrained him from visiting his children.
- A judge can restrain a company from breaking the law.
- The order restrained the landlord from entering the flat.
- They asked the court to restrain the city from closing the school.
Grammar
Dictionary form
restrain
IPA
GB/ɹistɹˈeɪn/
US/ɹistɹˈeɪn/
Syllables & stress
re - strain (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (strain)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: restrain
- 3rd Person Singular: restrains
- Present Participle: restraining
- Past: restrained
Word family
Forms
restrains
verb
restraining
verb
restrained
verb
Core family
restraint
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
unrestrained
adjective
Expressions
cannot restrain oneself
1/kænˈɑt ɹistɹˈeɪn wˌʌnsˈɛlf/
fixed phrase
be unable to control oneself
Used when someone tries, but fails, to stop themselves from doing or saying something.
Examples
- She cannot restrain herself from correcting other people’s grammar.
- He tried to stay calm but could not restrain himself and started shouting.
restrain yourself
1/ɹistɹˈeɪn jʊɹsˈɛlf/
fixed phrase
tell someone to control themselves
Used to tell someone, or yourself, not to do something you strongly want to do, usually because it is not sensible or polite.
Examples
- I know you want to shout, but please restrain yourself.
- He had to restrain himself from checking his phone during the interview.
restraining order
1/ɹistɹˈeɪnɪŋ ˈɔɹdɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
legal order to keep someone away
A legal paper from a court that says a person must not contact or go near another person or place.
Examples
- She got a restraining order against her ex-husband.
- The judge issued a restraining order to protect the witnesses.