1. Hold back physically
   "She had to restrain her dog from chasing the cat"
    
2. To close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement
   "The guards restrained the violent prisoner";
   - confine, hold, constrain
    
3. Prevent the action or expression of
   "she struggled to restrain her impatience at the delays";
   - keep, keep back, hold back
    
4. Prevent (someone or something) from doing something
   "security guards restrained the reporter from throwing another shoe"

Derived forms: restraining, restrained, restrains

Type of: act, bound, confine, disable, disenable [archaic], incapacitate, keep, limit, move, prevent, restrict, throttle, trammel

Encyclopedia: Restrain