English Meaning & Definitions
To stop oneself from doing something; to abstain or hold back.
- โPlease refrain from talking during the movie.โ
- โHe refrained from making any comments that might offend his colleagues.โ
A repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse.
- โThe catchy refrain of the song stayed in my head all day.โ
- โThe poem's somber refrain emphasized the theme of loss.โ
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for โrefrainโ.
Derived from the Old French 'refraindre', which comes from the Vulgar Latin 'refrangere' (to break off, curb, or restrain). The musical sense of the word evolved from the Old French 'refrain', meaning a recurring phrase or burden in a song, likely influenced by the idea of 'breaking' the flow of verses with a repeated line.
Think of 're-frain' as 're-strain'โif you refrain from doing something, you are restraining yourself from doing it.
Frequently Asked Questions About โrefrainโ
1. What is the meaning of โrefrainโ in English?
In English, refrain (verb) is defined as: โTo stop oneself from doing something; to abstain or hold back.โ.
2. How do you use โrefrainโ in a sentence?
โPlease refrain from talking during the movie.โ
3. What are English synonyms of โrefrainโ?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of โrefrainโ?
Derived from the Old French 'refraindre', which comes from the Vulgar Latin 'refrangere' (to break off, curb, or restrain). The musical sense of the word evolved from the Old French 'refrain', meaning a recurring phrase or burden in a song, likely influenced by the idea of 'breaking' the flow of verses with a repeated line.
๐ฌ๐งMore English Words to English
View all English words โThe base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.