Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To make smaller or narrower by binding or squeezing.
  • intransitive verb To squeeze or compress.
  • intransitive verb To restrict the scope or freedom of; cramp.
  • intransitive verb To become constricted.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To draw together in any part or at any point by internal force or action; contract; cause shrinkage or diminution of bulk, volume, or capacity in: as, to constrict a canal or a duet.
  • To compress in one part by external force; squeeze; bind; cramp.
  • Same as constricted.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To draw together; to render narrower or smaller; to bind; to cramp; to contract or cause to shrink.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To narrow, especially by applying pressure.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb squeeze or press together
  • verb become tight or as if tight

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin cōnstringere, cōnstrict-, to compress; see constrain.]

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