Verb: distrain di'streyn
- Legally take something in place of a debt payment
"The landlord distrained the tenant's property for unpaid rent"; "The court distrains assets to satisfy judgments"
- Levy a distress on
"The court distrained the debtor's assets"
Derived forms: distrains, distraining, distrained
Type of: impose, levy, reclaim, repossess
Encyclopedia: Distrain