constrict

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈstɹɪkt/

  • Audio (RP)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkt

Verb

constrict (third-person singular simple present constricts, present participle constricting, simple past and past participle constricted)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To narrow, especially by application of pressure.
2. (of a snake) To coil around (prey) in order to asphyxiate it.
3. (figuratively) To limit or restrict.

   Synonym: inhibit

Derived terms

• reconstrict

Related terms

• constraint
• constriction
• constrictor
• restrict
• strict

 

Translations

to narrow

• Bulgarian: свивам (bg) (svivam), стягам (bg) (stjagam), стеснявам (bg) (stesnjavam)
• Czech: zúžit
• Finnish: puristaa (fi), supistaa (fi), kuristaa (fi), surkastaa
• German: einengen (de), verengen (de)
• Irish: crap
• Latin: praestringō
• Turkish: daralmak (tr), sıkışmak (tr)

References

• “constrict”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “constrict”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary