SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
refrain
verb
To hold oneself back from doing something.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Hold oneself back
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topRefrain typically takes from plus an activity. Desist suggests stopping something already begun; abstain often concerns a particular practice or substance.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See refrain in use
The audience was asked to refrain from interrupting the performance.
The teammate decided to refrain from sending an angry message while the group was still checking which inventory entries needed correction.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license