verb · academic
constrain
/kənˈstreɪn/con·STRAIN
to limit or restrict something, or to force someone to act in a particular way
Examples
“Budget limitations constrained the researchers' ability to conduct long-term studies.”
“Social norms can constrain individual behaviour.”
“We felt constrained to follow the rules despite disagreeing with them.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although technological advances expand possibilities, financial and regulatory factors often constrain implementation.”
Collocations
- constrain behaviour
- face constraints
- budgetary constraints
Word family
Common mistakes
dịch 'constrain' thành 'kìm hãm' trong mọi trường hợp→dùng 'hạn chế' khi nói về giới hạn, 'ép buộc' khi nhấn mạnh tính bắt buộc
dùng 'limit' thay cho 'constrain' khi nói về áp lực phải làm việc gì→chọn 'force' hoặc 'compel' khi muốn nói về ép buộc; 'constrain' có thể bao hàm cả nghĩa giới hạn và ép buộc
Say it for a higher band
5limit→6restrict→7+constrain
Synonyms
restrict
Easily confused
restrict
“The new law restricts the sale of certain chemicals.”
Related words
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In Sublist 7
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