Word
constrain
Phoneticscon·strain
US/kənˈstɹeɪn/
UK/kənstɹˈeɪn/
Definitions
01to restrict or limit
v. to limit what someone can do or how something can grow.
v. to restrict the scope or freedom of an action or process. Often used in passive constructions to describe external limitations.
“The small budget will constrain our ability to hire new staff this year.”
“The research team felt constrained by the strict ethical guidelines, which prevented them from pursuing several promising avenues of inquiry.”
Academic
Usage
Commonly used in the passive voice: 'to be constrained by'.
02to force or compel
v. to force someone to do something they might not want to do.
v. to compel or oblige someone to follow a specific course of action through pressure or necessity.
“Financial problems constrained the family to sell their old home.”
“Circumstances constrained the board of directors to issue a public apology before the full investigation was complete.”
Formal
Usage
Often follows the pattern 'constrain someone to do something'.
03to physically confine
v. to hold something back or keep it inside narrow limits.
v. to physically confine or keep something within close bounds.
“The gas is constrained within a small metal tank.”
“The structural integrity of the bridge depends on how the steel cables constrain the movement of the central span during high winds.”
Technical · Formal
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“Studies suggest Imperial Japan’s sardine catch declined drastically and even ceased during the early 1940s, constraining the empire’s military power relying on fisheries resources.” “Yet the campaign appears to have done little to constrain cocaine supply.” “There are places that could constrain you, but London was somewhere I could expand, explore life.”
Héctor Bellerín says ‘80% of my football came through Mikel [Arteta’s] mind’ during his time at Arsenal.” Etymology
From Middle English constreinen, from Old French constreindre, from Latin cōnstringō, from cōn- (“with, together”) + stringō (“to draw, bind or tie tight”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to stroke, to shear, stiff”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/constrain