constrain

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con·strain

(kən-strān′)

tr.v. con·strained, con·strain·ing, con·strains

a. To keep within certain limits; confine or limit: "Legislators ... used the power of the purse to constrain the size of the military" (Julian E. Zelizer).

b. To inhibit or restrain; hold back: "She noticed her mother blushing and acting somewhat constrained in her conversation with the grandmother" (David Huddle).

2. To compel by physical, moral, or circumstantial force; oblige: felt constrained to object to his behavior.

3. To produce in a forced or inhibited manner: "This smile seemed to touch something off in her ... and playfully she constrained her own roguish smile" (Naeem Murr).

[Middle English constreinen, from Old French constraindre, constraign-, from Latin cōnstringere, to restrain, compress : com-, com- + stringere, to bind, press together; see streig- in Indo-European roots.]

con·strain′a·ble adj.

con·strain′ed·ly (-strā′nĭd-lē) adv.

con·strain′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

constrain

(kənˈstreɪn)

vb (tr)

1. to compel or force, esp by persuasion, circumstances, etc; oblige

2. to restrain by or as if by force; confine

[C14: from Old French constreindre, from Latin constringere to bind together, from stringere to bind]

conˈstrainer n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

con•strain

(kənˈstreɪn)

v.t.

1. to force, compel, or oblige.

2. to confine forcibly, as by bonds.

3. to repress or restrain.

[1275–1325; Middle English constrei(g)nen < Anglo-French, Middle French constrei(g)n-, s. of constreindre < Latin constringere. See con-, strain¹]

constrain

Past participle: constrained
Gerund: constraining

Imperative
constrain
constrain

Present
I constrain
you constrain
he/she/it constrains
we constrain
you constrain
they constrain

Preterite
I constrained
you constrained
he/she/it constrained
we constrained
you constrained
they constrained

Present Continuous
I am constraining
you are constraining
he/she/it is constraining
we are constraining
you are constraining
they are constraining

Present Perfect
I have constrained
you have constrained
he/she/it has constrained
we have constrained
you have constrained
they have constrained

Past Continuous
I was constraining
you were constraining
he/she/it was constraining
we were constraining
you were constraining
they were constraining

Past Perfect
I had constrained
you had constrained
he/she/it had constrained
we had constrained
you had constrained
they had constrained

Future
I will constrain
you will constrain
he/she/it will constrain
we will constrain
you will constrain
they will constrain

Future Perfect
I will have constrained
you will have constrained
he/she/it will have constrained
we will have constrained
you will have constrained
they will have constrained

Future Continuous
I will be constraining
you will be constraining
he/she/it will be constraining
we will be constraining
you will be constraining
they will be constraining

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been constraining
you have been constraining
he/she/it has been constraining
we have been constraining
you have been constraining
they have been constraining

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been constraining
you will have been constraining
he/she/it will have been constraining
we will have been constraining
you will have been constraining
they will have been constraining

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been constraining
you had been constraining
he/she/it had been constraining
we had been constraining
you had been constraining
they had been constraining

Conditional
I would constrain
you would constrain
he/she/it would constrain
we would constrain
you would constrain
they would constrain

Past Conditional
I would have constrained
you would have constrained
he/she/it would have constrained
we would have constrained
you would have constrained
they would have constrained

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb	1.	constrain - hold back cumber, encumber, restrain confine, limit, throttle, trammel, restrain, restrict, bound - place limits on (extent or access); "restrict the use of this parking lot"; "limit the time you can spend with your friends" bridle - put a bridle on; "bridle horses" curb - keep to the curb; "curb your dogs" clog - impede the motion of, as with a chain or a burden; "horses were clogged until they were tamed"
	2.	constrain - restrict; "Tighten the rules"; "stiffen the regulations" tighten up, stiffen, tighten confine, limit, throttle, trammel, restrain, restrict, bound - place limits on (extent or access); "restrict the use of this parking lot"; "limit the time you can spend with your friends"

constrain

verb

1. restrict, confine, curb, restrain, rein, constrict, hem in, straiten, check, chain Women are too often constrained by family commitments.

2. force, pressure, urge, bind, compel, oblige, necessitate, coerce, impel, pressurize, drive Individuals will be constrained to make many sacrifices for the greater good.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

constrain

verb

1. To cause (a person or thing) to act or move in spite of resistance:

coerce, compel, force, make, obligate, oblige, pressure.

2. To control, restrict, or arrest:

bit, brake, bridle, check, curb, hold, hold back, hold down, hold in, inhibit, keep, keep back, pull in, rein (back, in, or up), restrain.

3. To check the freedom and spontaneity of:

constrict, cramp, inhibit.

Translations

astreindre contraindre étreindre imposer limiter

costringere

подпирать

constrain

[kənˈstreɪn] VT (= oblige) → obligar
to constrain sb to do sth → obligar a algn a hacer algo
to feel/be constrained to do sth → sentirse/verse obligado a hacer algo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

constrain

[kənˈstreɪn] vt

(= compel) → contraindre, forcer
to be constrained to do sth → être forcé(e) de faire qch, se voir dans l'obligation de faire qch

(= restrain) → contraindre
to be constrained by sth → être contraint(e) par qch

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

constrain

vt → zwingen; one’s temper → zügeln

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

constrain

[kənˈstreɪn] vt → costringere

constrain

v. restringir; impedir.

References in classic literature ?

Deal so plainly with man and woman as to constrain the utmost sincerity and destroy all hope of trifling with you.

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So it happens with fortune, who shows her power where valour has not prepared to resist her, and thither she turns her forces where she knows that barriers and defences have not been raised to constrain her.

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Such another small basin of thin gruel as his own was all that he could, with thorough selfapprobation, recommend; though he might constrain himself, while the ladies were comfortably clearing the nicer things, to say:

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Of course it is a sad and sorry thing to have to live among strangers, and to be forced to seek their patronage, and to conceal and constrain one's own personality-- but God will help me.

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--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

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Your Majesty's Royal Brother, the Emperor of Bang, is anxious to purchase it, but loyalty to your Majesty's throne and person constrains me to offer it first to your Majesty.

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The photographer came out and gave a constrained, apologetic laugh.

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It is true, however, that it is not customary to pull down all the houses of a town with the single design of rebuilding them differently, and thereby rendering the streets more handsome; but it often happens that a private individual takes down his own with the view of erecting it anew, and that people are even sometimes constrained to this when their houses are in danger of falling from age, or when the foundations are insecure.

View in context

Before that, I never knew what it was to foam at the mouth, but now the action of the sharp bit on my tongue and jaw, and the constrained position of my head and throat, always caused me to froth at the mouth more or less.

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After five minutes of irksome, constrained conversation, they heard the sound of slippered feet rapidly approaching.

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Bad: thus doth it call all that is spirit-broken, and sordidly-servile-- constrained, blinking eyes, depressed hearts, and the false submissive style, which kisseth with broad cowardly lips.

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And, as he drew towards the close, a spirit as of prophecy had come upon him, constraining him to its purpose as mightily as the old prophets of Israel were constrained, only with this difference, that, whereas the Jewish seers had denounced judgments and ruin on their country, it was his mission to foretell a high and glorious destiny for the newly gathered people of the Lord.