What's the difference between constrain and refrain?

Constrain


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To secure by bonds; to chain; to bond or confine; to hold tightly; to constringe.
  • (v. t.) To bring into a narrow compass; to compress.
  • (v. t.) To hold back by force; to restrain; to repress.
  • (v. t.) To compel; to force; to necessitate; to oblige.
  • (v. t.) To violate; to ravish.
  • (v. t.) To produce in such a manner as to give an unnatural effect; as, a constrained voice.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Paul Johnson, the IFS director, said: “Osborne’s new fiscal charter is much more constraining than his previous fiscal rules.
  • (2) The parameters of the multiplet signal are consistent with the presence of a sterically constrained tyrosine phenoxyl radical.
  • (3) The variations in behavior and physiology across the year were considered in terms of factors constraining the timing of the natural reproductive pattern.
  • (4) First, chains are constrained by their inability to penetrate the boundary.
  • (5) The prepro form of ET-1 was inactive, suggesting that mature ET peptides are constrained in an inactive conformation within the preproET species.
  • (6) A method is presented for testing the equality of some or all (constrained or unconstrained) optima in a response surface analysis.
  • (7) The genius of a democracy governed by the rule of law, our democracy, is that it both empowers the majority through the ballot box, and constrains the majority, its government, so that it is bound by law.” Turnbull added: “Why does Daesh [another term for Islamic State] hate us?
  • (8) Often, a single, constrained peptide analogue can be designed, which will have many of the desired biological and biophysical properties, and will serve as a template.
  • (9) Because the rigor of the present day "scientific method" demands clearcut and reproducible results and investigations require predictable performance of the parasite in an evenly maintained host that is in a highly constrained environment, we should not wonder why we cannot produce the events of nature.
  • (10) In the first stage, the constrained random ordering of the stimuli is generated as specified by the user.
  • (11) Intrauterine influences which retard fetal weight gain may irrecoverably constrain the growth of the airways.
  • (12) "We have rhetorical pressure, which we are using, and we have the Seventh Fleet, which nobody wants to use, and in between our options are more constrained," he said.
  • (13) If correctional institutions constrain inmates' access to social benefits, means exist to protect incarcerated people's rights in health studies.
  • (14) Her ability to estimate time intervals and general time perspective was constrained by her impoverished store of knowledge for personal experiences.
  • (15) The immobilization successfully constrained the anteroinferior displacement of the maxilla and zygomatic bone on the fused side.
  • (16) In a previous study of push-off without plantar flexion it was shown that the transformation of knee angular velocity into translation of the body is constrained by the fact that velocity difference between hip and ankle has to reach its peak value a long time before the knee is extended.
  • (17) As there is no evidence for a close evolutionary link between kinesin and myosin, these and other similarities may represent convergence to set of common functional properties which are constrained by the requirements of protein structure and the use of ATP hydrolysis as a source of energy.
  • (18) By lengthening the ventricular effective refractory period, trains of conditioning stimuli could prevent or terminate tachycardias, but this possibility is constrained, at present, by the spatial limitations of the technique.
  • (19) The data suggest that the biological effects of RA may be constrained or augmented by differential regulation of its own receptor gene expression.
  • (20) A biological process serves as a source and its products are subject t] local dispersive fluid forces constrained by chaotic streamlines.

Refrain


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To hold back; to restrain; to keep within prescribed bounds; to curb; to govern.
  • (v. t.) To abstain from
  • (v. i.) To keep one's self from action or interference; to hold aloof; to forbear; to abstain.
  • (v.) The burden of a song; a phrase or verse which recurs at the end of each of the separate stanzas or divisions of a poetic composition.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) In partial reshunting on the background of considerable improvement in hemodynamics and the general condition of the patient, one may refrain from carrying out an operation again and continue dynamik observation of the patient.
  • (2) The Kremlin has so far refrained from dealing with mounting anger against people from Russia's turbulent North Caucasus region, as well as migrant workers from central Asia, which has grown as the country's oil-fuelled economic boom has given way to the hardship of the global financial crisis.
  • (3) The son of the slain Afghan police commander (who is the husband of one of the killed pregnant woman and brother of the other) says that villagers refer to US Special Forces as the "American Taliban" and that he refrained from putting on a suicide belt and attacking US soldiers with it only because of the pleas of his grieving siblings.
  • (4) Last week he argued that properly primed immigrants will "see off the racists" - as if once blacks and Asians could conjugate their verbs properly and learn the date of the Battle of Agincourt, then racists would refrain from attacking them.
  • (5) But Rouhani can still use his position as the public face of the Islamic republic to defend Rezaian, which he has refrained from doing, at least so far.
  • (6) Both promiscuous and nonpromiscuous male homosexuals should refrain from giving blood.
  • (7) Nevertheless, because of the uncertain future of any type of implant, especially new, we have encouraged the patients to follow a careful postoperative management program and refrain from heavy activity during the first year.
  • (8) For reasons of comparison, animals were also trained in a delayed go no-go task in which visual cues instructed them to perform or refrain from an arm movement reaction to a subsequent trigger stimulus.
  • (9) And to a lesser extent in Wales ," has been a persistent refrain during the first decade in the life of the National Assembly.
  • (10) A professional technician is available for consultation on technical problems, but strictly refrains from intervening in the creative work proper.
  • (11) Alistair Burt, a Foreign Office minister, urged Libya "to respect the right of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and on all sides to exercise restraint and refrain from violence".
  • (12) Nowadays, the management of the crises which accompany significant Life Events (such as birth, marriage, retirement, death...) within this new family-system, is refrained by the lack of "relays" which were previously provided by the "enlarged family".
  • (13) The latter responded with tear gas, despite orders to refrain from using chemicals against protesters.
  • (14) chi2-testing, was refrained from in view of the small number of interviewes.
  • (15) Results indicate that when the harm-doers apologized, as opposed to when they did not, the victim-subjects refrained from severe aggression against them.
  • (16) I will refrain on saying my thoughts on the National League and pitchers hitting, but all I'm saying here is that maybe it would have been more fun to see a David Oritz or Victor Martinez hitting there instead.
  • (17) If the assessment is that media coverage will be damaging, news organisations are requested to refrain from reporting.
  • (18) Refrain from detonating your little bomb,” one of the generals told the commander in charge of the test.
  • (19) Cue that familiar gloating refrain from Stoke fans when Arsenal are in town: “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” they crooned.
  • (20) Media had been asked to refrain from reporting this for fear of further increasing the danger to him from his captors.