From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishconstraintcon‧straint /kənˈstreɪnt/ ●○○ AWL noun 1 [countable]LIMIT something that limits your freedom to do what you want SYN restrictionconstraint on Constraints on spending have forced the company to rethink its plans. the constraints of family lifefinancial/environmental/political etc constraints There have been financial and political constraints on development.impose/place constraints on somebody/something constraints imposed on teachers by large class sizes2 [uncountable]CONTROL control over the way people are allowed to behave, so that they cannot do what they want freedom from constraintCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + constraintfinancial/legal/economic etc constraintsDuring the war, there were many physical and social constraints on citizens.time constraints (=the limited amount of time that is available)Exams are always done under strict time constraints.budget constraints (=the limited amount of money that is available)With any new project, you have to be aware of the budget constraints.a major constraintIn Egypt, the shortage of land and water is a major constraint on agriculture.a serious/severe constraintThe country's debts put serious constraints on its economic growth.a tight constraint (=a strict limit)They were operating within tight financial constraints.an important constraintTheir religious beliefs were an important constraint on their behaviour.verbsimpose constraints on somebody/somethingYou have to work within the constraints that the software imposes.place/put constraints on somebody/somethingLack of funding is putting severe constraints on research.free somebody/something from constraintsSummer vacation is a time when children are freed from the constraints of routine.phrasesbe subject to constraints (=be limited by them)Teachers are subject to the constraints of the examination system.be free from constraints (=not be limited by them)No film producers are free from the constraints of censorship.given the constraints on something (=because there are particular constraints on something)Given the constraints on space in the city, most people live in tiny apartments.
Examples from the Corpus
constraint• The finance director gives committees advice on the authority's overall budget constraints for the next year.• In 1989, the Piscataway school district in New Jersey had to dismiss one high school business teacher because of budgetary constraints.• This may reflect lower evolutionary constraints on the structure of this region in the two proteins.• So this is a linguistic constraint.• They have called on the military to show constraint.• They may also be subject to similar constraints and failures.• This constraint may not apply to fundholding practices where, in addition to the obvious benefits to the patient, real financial incentives exist.• It is an unnecessary constraint, since without it the manager would do better.impose/place constraints on somebody/something• The layout of documents can provide additional information which also places constraints on the recognition process.Origin constraint (1300-1400) Old French constrainte, from constraindre; → CONSTRAIN 