1
as in compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
constrained by conscience to tell only the truth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in regulates
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
constrained his anger at the needless interruption
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of constrains
That measurement gap directly constrains capital.
—
Jamil Wyne, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The fact that Starlink PNT is limited to communication with a single satellite at a time also constrains performance, whereas receiving multiple satellite measurement signals from many different angles could improve its accuracy.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Meanwhile, Europe is grappling with higher energy prices as the Iran conflict severely constrains oil exports from the Middle East.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
That deeply constrains everything that occurs in the show’s first outing, which can’t see Mike, El, Dustin, Lucas, or Max grow as characters in ways that bump up against their arcs from the original show, or let the new addition Nikki (Odessa A’zion) become too firmly entrenched in their lives.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
But when resistance is too high, when something constrains electron flow through the mitochondria, the system backs up.
—Jasna Hodžić, Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
This includes other priority areas along the Florida Wildlife Corridor where development constrains animal movement.
—Eve Bohnett, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
Limited access constrains health care, education, digital connectivity and job creation.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Inflation constrains monetary easing.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
Jamil Wyne, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The fact that Starlink PNT is limited to communication with a single satellite at a time also constrains performance, whereas receiving multiple satellite measurement signals from many different angles could improve its accuracy.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Meanwhile, Europe is grappling with higher energy prices as the Iran conflict severely constrains oil exports from the Middle East.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
That deeply constrains everything that occurs in the show’s first outing, which can’t see Mike, El, Dustin, Lucas, or Max grow as characters in ways that bump up against their arcs from the original show, or let the new addition Nikki (Odessa A’zion) become too firmly entrenched in their lives.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
But when resistance is too high, when something constrains electron flow through the mitochondria, the system backs up.
—Jasna Hodžić, Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
This includes other priority areas along the Florida Wildlife Corridor where development constrains animal movement.
—Eve Bohnett, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026
Limited access constrains health care, education, digital connectivity and job creation.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Inflation constrains monetary easing.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constrains
Verb
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Richard Dreyfuss stars as an Indiana electric lineman/dad who gets discombobulated after a light from a passing UFO compels him to do weirdo things — like build a mountain replica inside of his home.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
-
Finding a way to do that, to have in-person contact with others to help them, literally compels her out of bed in the morning.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine engineered the harmless eye-dwelling microbe Corynebacterium mastitidis to secrete interleukin-10 (IL-10), a protein that regulates inflammation and supports wound healing.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
-
How the Living Eye Drops Work The Pitt team engineered Corynebacterium mastitidis, a benign microbe that already resides under the eyelid, to continuously secrete interleukin-10 (IL-10), a small protein that regulates inflammation.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Soccer forces a humanoid robot to deal with movement, balance and split-second changes.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
-
The question is whether the country will modernize these systems before the next failure forces its hand.—
Gregg Herrin,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
Verb
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It is widely accepted that a teaspoon of productive soil generally contains between 100 million and one billion bacteria, thus the name and rallying cry of the Forum.—
Louise Schiavone,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The final film contains 82 minutes of score.—
Jon Burlingame,
Variety,
14 June 2026
Verb
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However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Whoever controls those constraints—chips, electricity, grid capacity, and digital infrastructure—will have disproportionate influence over global growth.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and now first-ever trillionaire, controls a lot of different businesses.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Verb
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The court replaced it with a read-in version that obliges parliament to refer a panel’s findings to the impeachment committee, which is responsible for conducting a full inquiry into the hearing evidence, determining whether grounds exist to remove a sitting president.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
-
Johnson obliges, gently removing the lid.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
1 May 2026
Verb
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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
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At certain points in the novel, that distance calcifies and restrains his writing.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Constrains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constrains. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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