Synonyms for restrain

verb

1. To hold in check

   check, control, curb, bridle, rein in, inhibit, suppress, keep in, handle, regulate, keep in line, guide, direct, keep down, keep from, repress, harness, muzzle, tether, chain, fetter, keep a rein on, hold in leash, govern, hold, bind, deter, hold in, hold back, hamper, constrain, restrict, stay, gag, limit, impound, bottle up, tie down, pin down, crack down, choke back, pull back, contain, stifle, sit on*, come down on*, put a lid on*.

2. To restrict

   limit, circumscribe, delimit; see restrict 2.

restrain, the term of broadest application in this list, suggests the use of strong force or authority either in preventing, or in suppressing and controlling, some action try to restrain your zeal; curb, check, and bridle derive their current implications from the various uses of a horse's harness, curb implying a sudden, sharp action to bring something under control to curb one's tongue, check implying a slowing up of action or progress to check inflationary trends, and bridle suggesting a holding in of emotion, feelings, etc. to bridle one's envy; inhibit implies a suppressing or repressing of some action, impulse, thought, or emotion to inhibit free discussion, often also by the operation of psychological constraints