Dictionary

constrain en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /kənˈstɹeɪn/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin cōn- Proto-Indo-European *streyg- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *strinégti Proto-Italic *stringō Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *stréngʰeti Proto-Italic *strengō Latin stringō Latin cōnstringōder. Old French constreindrebor. Middle English constreinen English constrain 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”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To force physically, by strong persuasion or pressuring; to compel; to oblige.
2. (transitive) To keep within close bounds; to confine.
   • But it's not just Castlefield Corridor capacity that constrains services. All the junctions on the lines feeding into the corridor are flat, so they create conflict points as trains pass. 2020 January 2, Philip Haigh, “Is there relief to congestion along Castlefield Corridor?”, in Rail, page 23:
3. (transitive) To reduce a result in response to limited resources.

Forms

Deriveds

constrainingly · unconstraining · coconstrain · constrainment · constrainer · constraintive · unconstrain · overconstrain · underconstrain · constrainable

Relateds

restrain · constraint · constrict · strain

Translations (44)

bg насилвам (to force; to compel; to oblige) · nl dwingen (to force; to compel; to oblige) · ang bǣdan (to force; to compel; to oblige) · ca constrènyer (to force; to compel; to oblige) · sh prisiliti (to force; to compel; to oblige) · ru принужда́ть (to force; to compel; to oblige) · pt confinar (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · io obligar (to force; to compel; to oblige) · it limitare (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · bg принуждавам (to force; to compel; to oblige) · ko 금지 (to force; to compel; to oblige) · fr astreindre (to force; to compel; to oblige) · pt restringir (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · ko 구속 (to force; to compel; to oblige) · hu kényszerít (to force; to compel; to oblige) · nl beperken (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · de einschränken (to force; to compel; to oblige) · fi rajata (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · it costringere (to force; to compel; to oblige) · no begrense (to force; to compel; to oblige) · es constreñir (to force; to compel; to oblige) · hu korlátoz (to reduce a result in response to limited resources) · fi sulkea (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · fi eristää (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · pt apertar (to force; to compel; to oblige) · mi whakatina (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · fi rajoittaa (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · de behindern (to force; to compel; to oblige) · tr zorlamak (to force; to compel; to oblige) · pt restringir (to force; to compel; to oblige) · fr confiner (to force; to compel; to oblige) · bg ограничавам (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · fr contraindre (to force; to compel; to oblige) · fi pakottaa (to force; to compel; to oblige) · ru ограни́чивать (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · ko 제한 (to force; to compel; to oblige) · kw konstrina (to force; to compel; to oblige) · fi rajoittaa (to reduce a result in response to limited resources) · de limitieren (to force; to compel; to oblige) · io koaktar (to force; to compel; to oblige) · pt constranger (to force; to compel; to oblige) · grc πεδάω (to keep within close bounds; to confine) · sv begränsa (to force; to compel; to oblige) · da begrænse (to force; to compel; to oblige)