Definition of "restrain" []

• To hold back or keep in check; control: couldn't restrain the tears. (verb-transitive)
• To hold (a person) back; prevent: restrained them from going. (verb-transitive)
• To deprive of freedom or liberty. (verb-transitive)
• To limit or restrict. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "All that trash coming in from Canada that Michigan politicians have spent years trying to restrain is starting to look like pure gold as a source of alternative energy, Gov."
• "To begin with, no matter what the secretary says and how many times he says it, many investors and traders are skeptical, either of the Bush's commitment to a strong dollar, or of its ability to do what is necessary to achieve a strong dollar -- namely restrain the U.S. budget deficit."
• "Think back on King's record not least his sycophantic praise of Gordon Brown prior to 2005 and the failure of both the Bank of England and the Treasury to restrain a kamikaze housing boom supported by sub prime lending and you marvel at his remarkable powers of survival."