constrains

verb

present tense third-person singular of constrain
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of constrains 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 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 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 This includes other priority areas along the Florida Wildlife Corridor where development constrains animal movement. — Eve Bohnett, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026 Better Decisions, Earlier What constrains superintendents is how much time every day gets consumed by documentation and piecing together what happened, rather than applying that judgment to what comes next. — Mike Winn, Forbes.com, 29 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constrains
  1. compels
  2. regulates
  3. forces
  4. contains
  5. coerces
  6. controls
  7. obliges
  8. restrains
Verb
  • This ruling compels companies to confront systemic biases embedded in their hiring data, rather than solely blaming technology.
    — Aparna Rae, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • When systemic failures persist, lawsuits are the catalyst that compels meaningful reform and protects children who cannot protect themselves.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2026
Definition of compels
Verb
  • The Federal Aviation Administration regulates the airspace, and drone owners are responsible for knowing and abiding by those restrictions.
    — Kelly O'Donnell, NBC news, 5 July 2026
  • The Clean Air Act is the federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources and governs air pollution.
    — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of regulates
Verb
  • This forces the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve between the esophagus and the stomach, to open and close rapidly in succession.
    — Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Andy’s diagnosis pulled her back overnight—a common reality for glioblastoma families, since the disease often forces patients to stop working.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 3 July 2026
Definition of forces
Verb
  • The 585-acre neighborhood contains 5 million square feet of office space, including 250,000 square feet of medical offices where John Muir Health has been expanding.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
  • The ancient Moa Eggshell Cave in New Zealand contains the remains of several extinct animal species lost approximately a million years ago.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 6 July 2026
Definition of contains
Verb
  • 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
Definition of coerces
Verb
  • History shows family successions, whether in North Korea or Syria, tend to happen through rigid authoritarian control, with the transfer of power underwritten by whoever controls the military.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Even Realities, which was founded in 2023, launched the Even G2 smart glasses with a bigger display in a lighter frame late last year, alongside the Even R1, a smart ring that controls the display of the G2.
    — Jenny Lee,Anniek Bao, CNBC, 6 July 2026
Definition of controls
Verb
  • That emergency obliges all of us — critical filmmakers, activists, big and small festivals — to be more courageous.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 18 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of obliges
Verb
  • Remarkably, state law also severely restrains cities and counties from setting their own regulations, giving local leaders little sway over local gun policies.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of restrains

Browse Nearby Words

constraining
constrains
constraint
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Cite this Entry

“Constrains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constrains. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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