restrict
verb
Simple meaning
To consider as defined on a subset of its original domain.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reestriktSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹistˈɹɪkt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
To restrain within boundaries; to limit; to confine
specificallymathematics
To consider (a function) as defined on a subset of its original domain.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To restrain within boundaries; to limit; to confine
Used this way, restrict is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- trammel , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use restrict
- “Restrict the use of this parking lot.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Other combinations
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Subject to restriction or subjected to restriction.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A subordinate clause that limits or restricts the meaning of the noun phrase it modifies.
A subordinate clause that does not limit or restrict the meaning of the noun phrase it modifies.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “restrict” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.