1
as in to regulate
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
the victim's family members were unable to restrain their emotions upon hearing the verdict
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to arrest
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law
the suspect was restrained and taken to an undisclosed location
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of restrain
The wide eyes of Rudiger, being forcibly restrained from the referee, flashed red in response.
—
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 1 May 2025
She had been charged with breaching a family violence restraining order over an incident in February and was set to appear in court in June in the city of Perth, where her estranged husband and children live.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025
Officers’ body-camera footage provided to McClatchy News captured his initial detainment up until he was restrained and taken into custody at the jail.
—Julia Marnin, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2025
In February, Robert filed a temporary family restraining order against Giuffre, which gave him primary custody of their children and prohibited her from contacting them, Sky said.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restrain
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 1 May 2025
She had been charged with breaching a family violence restraining order over an incident in February and was set to appear in court in June in the city of Perth, where her estranged husband and children live.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025
Officers’ body-camera footage provided to McClatchy News captured his initial detainment up until he was restrained and taken into custody at the jail.
—Julia Marnin, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2025
In February, Robert filed a temporary family restraining order against Giuffre, which gave him primary custody of their children and prohibited her from contacting them, Sky said.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restrain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restrain
Verb
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Serotonin plays a crucial role in regulating mood and sleep patterns.—
Sarah Jividen,
Verywell Health,
9 May 2025
-
This is especially true in the current context where most countries are more focused on accelerating technology's capabilities than efforts to regulate it meaningfully and create societal guardrails.—
Yoshua Bengio,
Time,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Seven other colleagues had been arrested in January 2024 but were later acquitted into house arrest or released under travel bans.—
One Free Press Coalition,
Time,
1 May 2025
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Accused of being gang members Millan was moved to Bluebonnet in mid-April from the Stewart detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia, where he had been held since he was arrested by immigration agents in the Atlanta suburbs on March 12, according to a senior Department of Homeland Security official.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
Verb
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This language is shorthand for Kyiv agreeing to permanent neutrality in return for a security guarantee and accepting that Russia controls swathes of Ukraine.—
Tom Balmforth,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
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Water quality officials have long complained that septic systems in Malibu didn’t adequately control sewage and that pathogens seeped into groundwater and then into local creeks and Santa Monica Bay.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2025
Verb
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The White House, with Vice President JD Vance’s experience in tech, should seize this moment to build a national AI strategy that does not leave the workers behind.—
Lynn Forester de Rothschild,
Time,
11 May 2025
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This time, the case moved forward alongside multiple simultaneous investigations and cases in other states, and in 2018, the federal government seized Backpage and it was taken down.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2025
Verb
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So Koester compiled a database that now contains more than 500,000 missing person searches dating back to the 1970s.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
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Summary The gut microbiome contains many microorganisms.—
Amber J. Tresca,
Verywell Health,
2 May 2025
Verb
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Marsh male warbler simultaneously serenades its partner while grabbing a quick snack.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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Keep scrolling for more comfortable and packable flats to grab this season from Amazon, Nordstrom, Zappos, and more—starting at $25.—
Aly Walansky,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Fish fighting has faced increasing criticism, particularly in light of animal rights concerns and regulations aimed at curbing animal cruelty.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
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Why the preoccupation with whether transgender women are stealing places from women born female when women are more likely to have their practices curbed by men’s and boys’ teams kicking them off their training pitches?—
Katie Whyatt,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Verb
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Agents apprehended him in just a few minutes, parked his car off the road and drove away with him in a van.—
Stephanie Elam,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
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He was apprehended shortly thereafter and agreed to do an interview with investigators.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Restrain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restrain. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
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