constrict

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

• IPA^(key): /kənˈstɹɪkt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkt

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

1. (ambitransitive) To narrow, especially by application of pressure.

   constrict the airway

   constrict blood vessels

   Clothing that is too tight can constrict blood flow.

2. To coil around (prey) in order to asphyxiate it. (of a snake)

   The snake began to constrict its prey.

3. (figurative) To limit or restrict.

   Synonym: inhibit

• “constrict”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “constrict”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.