Constrict

//kənˈstɹɪkt// verb

verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To narrow, especially by application of pressure. ambitransitive

    "constrict the airway"

  2. 2
    become tight or as if tight wordnet
  3. 3
    To coil around (prey) in order to asphyxiate it. (of a snake)

    "The snake began to constrict its prey."

  4. 4
    squeeze or press together wordnet
  5. 5
    To limit or restrict. figuratively

Synonyms

All synonyms
compressabbreviateattenuatebangbarbarricade

Example

More examples

"Social hierarchies serve to constrict freedom of choice."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cōnstrictus (“compressed, contracted”), past participle of cōnstringō (“to draw or bind together; to compress”). Doublet of constrain.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.