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Definition of restraint noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

restraint

noun
 
 
/rɪˈstreɪnt/
 
/rɪˈstreɪnt/
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  1.  
    [countable, usually plural] restraint (on somebody/something) a rule, a fact, an idea, etc. that limits or controls what people can do
    • The government has imposed export restraints on some products.
    • social restraints on drinking alcohol
    Synonyms limitlimitrestriction ▪ control ▪ constraint ▪ restraint ▪ limitationThese are all words for something that limits what you can do or what can happen.limit the greatest or smallest amount of something that is allowed:
    • The EU has set strict limits on pollution levels.
    • the speed limit
    restriction (rather formal) a rule or law that limits what you can do:
    • There are no restrictions on the amount of money you can withdraw.
    control (often in compounds) the act of limiting or managing something; a method of doing this:
    • arms control
    constraint (rather formal) a fact or decision that limits what you can do:
    • We have to work within severe constraints of time and money.
    restraint (rather formal) a decision, a rule, an idea, etc. that limits what you can do; the act of limiting something because it is necessary or sensible to do so:
    • The government has imposed export restraints on some products.
    • The unions are unlikely to accept any sort of wage restraint.
    limitation the act or process of limiting something; a rule, fact or condition that limits something:
    • They would resist any limitation of their powers.
     restriction, constraint, restraint or limitation?These are all things that limit what you can do. A restriction is rule or law that is made by somebody in authority. A constraint is something that exists rather than something that is made, although it may exist as a result of somebody’s decision. A restraint is also something that exists: it can exist outside yourself, as the result of somebody else’s decision; but it can also exist inside you, as a fear of what other people may think or as your own feeling about what is acceptable: moral/​social/​cultural restraints. A limitation is more general and can be a rule that somebody makes or a fact or condition that exists.Patterns
    • limits/​restrictions/​controls/​constraints/​restraints/​limitations on something
    • limits/​limitations to something
    • severe limits/​restrictions/​controls/​constraints/​restraints/​limitations
    • tight limits/​restrictions/​controls/​constraints
    • to impose/​remove limits/​restrictions/​controls/​constraints/​restraints/​limitations
    • to lift restrictions/​controls/​constraints/​restraints
    Extra Examples
    • The government imposed restraints on spending.
    • They balked at the notion of prior restraints on research.
    • We did the best we could within the limited time restraints.
    • What happens when the conventional restraints on human cruelty are removed?
    • agreements on voluntary export restraints
    • There are certain social restraints on drinking alcohol.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • voluntary
    • conventional
    • physical
    • …
    verb + restraint
    • impose
    • use
    • remove
    • …
    preposition
    • without restraint
    • restraint on
    • restraint upon
    • …
    See full entry
  2.  
    [uncountable] the act of controlling or limiting something because it is necessary or sensible to do so
    • The unions are unlikely to accept any sort of wage restraint.
    • without restraint They said that they would fight without restraint (= completely freely) for what they wanted.
    Extra Examples
    • talks on voluntary wage restraint
    • the government's need to exercise fiscal restraint
    • Prices continued to rise without restraint.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • voluntary
    • conventional
    • physical
    • …
    verb + restraint
    • impose
    • use
    • remove
    • …
    preposition
    • without restraint
    • restraint on
    • restraint upon
    • …
    See full entry
  3.  
    [uncountable] the quality of behaving calmly and with control synonym self-control
    • The police appealed to the crowd for restraint.
    • He exercised considerable restraint in ignoring the insults.
    Extra Examples
    • Finally he was able to cry properly, without restraint.
    • He abandoned all restraint and yelled at the top of his lungs.
    • Journalists have exercised remarkable restraint in not reporting all the sordid details of the case.
    • Somehow I had the restraint not to tell Peter that.
    • The government called for restraint by both sides.
    • The media should have used more restraint in disclosing his private life.
    • The role requires a certain restraint.
    • They reacted with restraint.
    • the mutual restraint shown by police and protesters.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • considerable
    • great
    • remarkable
    • …
    verb + restraint
    • have
    • exercise
    • practise/​practice
    • …
    preposition
    • with restraint
    • without restraint
    • restraint by
    • …
    See full entry
  4. [uncountable] (formal) the use of physical force to control somebody who is behaving in a violent way
    • the physical restraint of prisoners
    Extra Examples
    • Sometimes the care workers need to use physical restraint on the hospital patients.
    • guilty of the charge of unlawful restraint
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • voluntary
    • conventional
    • physical
    • …
    verb + restraint
    • impose
    • use
    • remove
    • …
    preposition
    • without restraint
    • restraint on
    • restraint upon
    • …
    See full entry
  5. [countable] (formal) a type of seat belt or safety device
    • Children must use an approved child restraint or adult seat belt.
    6. Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French restreinte, feminine past participle of restreindre ‘hold back’, from Latin restringere, from re- ‘back’ + stringere ‘to tie, pull tight’.
See restraint in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee restraint in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: restraint

Nearby words

perspective
noun
 
 
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