From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishconstraincon‧strain /kənˈstreɪn/ ●○○ AWL verb [transitive] 1 LIMITto stop someone from doing what they want to do SYN restrictconstrain somebody from doing something Financial factors should not constrain doctors from prescribing the best treatment for patients.2 LIMITto limit something SYN restrict Poor soil has constrained the level of crop production. Women’s employment opportunities are often severely constrained by family commitments.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
constrain• Third, as a government becomes less committed to democracy, the freedom and independence of the media are increasingly constrained.• Wealth, however, is not similarly constrained.• They have also been constrained by Britain's geographic location and limited resources.• However, a real plant will be constrained by the amount of already existing plant material and its needs.• Poor economies abroad may constrain demand for U.S. exports.• In the boiler overhaul, for example, Taylor found that a worker lost much time because of his constrained position.• The bill actually constrains the legislature from doing what they are elected to do.• They assume, that is, that the principles of analogy and local interpretation constrain their experience.• Nature abhors the superfluous, yet is constrained to produce the seemingly extravagant.Origin constrain (1300-1400) Old French constraindre, from Latin constringere “to constrict, constrain”, from com- ( → COM-) + stringere “to pull tight” 