constraint
Pluralconstraints
- 1A rule or limit that stops you from doing what you want.
Like a fence that keeps you from going past a certain point.
Money was the main constraint on their travel plans.
Time is a real constraint when you have a young child.
Similarrestriction, limitation, limit, restraint, check
Note
- 2A strong force or pressure that makes you do something and that you cannot resist.
He felt a constraint pulling him toward the door.
He only agreed to sell his farm under constraint, after weeks of threats.
Similarcompulsion, force, pressure, duress
Note
- 3Holding back your true feelings instead of showing them.
Like keeping a lid tight on a pot so nothing spills out.
She spoke with constraint, careful not to show her anger.
There was a sense of constraint around the dinner table.
Similarrestraint, reserve, reticence, inhibition, stiffness
Note
- 4A rule that any correct answer to a problem must follow.
Like a rule in a game that says which moves you are allowed to make.
Each constraint tells the computer which answers are allowed.
The problem had one constraint: the total weight could not go over ten pounds.
Similarrestriction, condition
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- 5A rule that keeps the information in a database correct and in order.
Like a rule that every form must have a name filled in before you can send it.
A constraint stops you from saving a record with no name.
The database used a constraint to make sure each user had a unique email.
Note
Practice
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Origin
It comes from an Old French word meaning "to force," which came from Latin.