RESTRAINS Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

restrains

verb

present tense third-person singular of restrain

as in regulates

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in seizes

to take or keep under one's control by authority of law the suspect was restrained and taken to an undisclosed location

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of restrains Farther down, the levee that restrains the rivers is a low line of trees into the horizon. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026 The constitutional exclusionary rule restrains government, not private parties, so the Fourth Amendment generally does not bar evidence wrongfully obtained by a private actor. — Jihun Joun, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026 If Beijing restrains Chinese developers while believing American labs are secretly advancing, China has every reason to defect. — Shlomit Wagman, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026 In the first act, the elegant Bailey restrains his vocal power to transmit a gentler, more angelic quality to his sound. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2026 On that same front, Hoffman’s order restrains the NCAA from enforcing the rule of restitution. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Elsewhere on the canvas, Cassatt restrains herself to match Katherine’s discipline. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 Remarkably, state law also severely restrains cities and counties from setting their own regulations, giving local leaders little sway over local gun policies. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026 The result is an economic model that favors producers, restrains consumers, and floods international markets with supercheap exports, including steel, solar panels, and electric vehicles. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for restrains

Verb

The medications work by blocking certain chemical messengers in the part of the brain that regulates body temperature and manages sleep/wake cycles, according to the guidance.

— Shannon Firth, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
That finding is now being read against a parallel body of research on circadian rhythm, the 24-hour internal clock that regulates eating, sleeping and other physiological processes.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of regulates

Verb

Sid is smart enough to sniff this out, and the show seizes the opportunity to raise the romantic stakes through an adorably British expression of mutual libidinousness.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
That reporting revealed that the state frequently seizes money from legal settlements stemming from medical malpractice, police brutality, workplace injury and other wrongful death lawsuits.

— Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of seizes

Verb

Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
Devlin throws a punch at Stone when the chief arrests him for drunken driving.

— Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026

Definition of arrests

Verb

Highly possible, yet the USA keeps assuring Ukranian leaders that the support of the United States is with them.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
One of cosmology’s greatest mysteries is the nature of dark energy—the invisible force that keeps the universe expanding at an ever-increasing rate.

— Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of keeps

Verb

Nope, the Crimson Tide would most likely be on the outside looking in, while someone else from the SEC grabs their spot in the postseason.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The suspect runs inside, grabs rolls of lottery tickets, stuffs them into a bag and runs out.

— Tara Lynch, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabs

Verb

But physicists have long suspected that at a subatomic level, there is a something that inherently controls how fast these changes can occur.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
In fact, as Darman tutored me, the staff secretary sees and controls all information that goes to the President.

— Bob Woodward, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of controls

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restraining

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restraint

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“Restrains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restrains. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of restrains

verb

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