Restricting: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when setting official rules or limits on what someone can do.

• The new law is restricting the use of plastic bags
• The school policy is restricting students from using phones in the classroom

Used when talking about reducing the number, size, or amount of something to a certain level.

• The company is limiting the number of products it can sell this quarter
• Limiting screen time can improve children's focus and sleep

Used when describing a situation where someone is being forced into a limited way of acting or thinking.

• He felt the corporate environment was constraining his creativity
• Economic factors are constraining the growth of small businesses

Used when describing an action to keep someone's movements or actions under control, often through physical means. Sometimes has a negative connotation.

• The police were restraining the suspect during the arrest
• She was restraining her anger during the tense meeting

This word is typically used when something is being limited by some form of control, often through rules or regulations.

• The school is restricting the use of mobile phones during classes.
• New laws are restricting how much landlords can raise rent.

This word is more commonly used in physical or spatial contexts, where something is being kept in a limited space.

• The animal is confined to a small cage.
• The prisoners are confined to their cells.

Constraining is often used when external forces, limitations, or pressures are limiting someone's ability to act freely. It can imply a sense of restriction but often with a cause or force behind it.

• Financial problems are constraining their ability to expand the business.
• She felt her creativity was being constrained by the strict guidelines.

This is used to describe anything that reduces the extent, amount, or duration of something, not just physical space but also opportunities, capabilities, and resources.

• The small budget is limiting what we can do with the project.
• His injuries are limiting his ability to play sports.