constrict
/kənˈstɹɪkt/ verb
Forms constricts constricting constricted
- verb (ambitransitive) To narrow, especially by application of pressure. “constrict the airway”
- verb To coil around (prey) in order to asphyxiate it. (of a snake) “The snake began to constrict its prey.”
- verb (figurative) To limit or restrict.
Synonyms
inhibit compress squeeze compact contract press constringe narrow
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin cōnstrictus (“compressed, contracted”), past participle of cōnstringō (“to draw or bind together; to compress”). Doublet of constrain.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To draw together; to render narrower or smaller; to bind; to cramp; to contract or ause to shrink.
Etymology [L. constrictus, p.p. of constringere. See Constrain.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “constrict”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details