Synonyms for refrain
rɪˈfreɪnre·frain

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 2 votes

1. refrain

   Strains of music may gradually or suddenly cease. A man quits work on the instant; he may discontinue a practise gradually; he quits suddenly and completely; he stops short in what he may or may not resume; he pauses in what he will probably resume. What intermits or is intermitted returns again, as a fever that intermits. Compare ABANDON; DIE; END; REST.

   Synonyms:
   abstain, bring to an end, cease, come to an end, conclude, desist, discontinue, end, end, finish, give over, intermit, leave off, pause, quit, stop, terminate

   Antonyms:
   begin, commence, enter upon, inaugurate, initiate, institute, originate, set about, set going, set in operation, set on foot, start

   Preposition:
   Cease from anger.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.5 / 2 votes

1. refrain

   Synonyms:
   forbear, hold, abstain, keep, restrain, withhold, desist from

   Antonyms:
   indulge, venture, continue, persist

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:4.3 / 4 votes

1. refrain, chorusverb

   the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers

   Synonyms:
   chorus line, chorus

   Antonyms:
   move, act

2. refrain, forbearverb

   resist doing something

   "He refrained from hitting him back"; "she could not forbear weeping"

   Synonyms:
   desist, forbear, hold back, abstain

   Antonyms:
   move, act

3. abstain, refrain, desistverb

   choose not to consume

   "I abstain from alcohol"

   Synonyms:
   desist, forbear, abstain

   Antonyms:
   act, move

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. refrainverb

   Synonyms:
   restrain, withhold, keep back

2. refrainverb

   Synonyms:
   abstain, forbear, hold one's self back, deny one's self, stay one's hand, keep one's self from indulgence

3. refrainnoun

   Synonyms:
   burden (of a song)

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. refrainverb

   Synonyms:
   restrain, curb, check, forbear, abstain, desist

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:2.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "refrain":

   abstain, chorus, abstaining, avoid, desist

How to pronounce refrain?

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use refrain in a sentence?

1. Getty Images:

   More than 80 percent of the participants supported the holding of New Year's events and the festive decoration of the city, at the same time, 29 percent spoke in favor of the usual format of the celebration, and 52 percent suggested this time to refrain from mass street concerts.

2. Dan Larhammer:

   The most important risk is that people and patients rely on unproven methods and refrain from using evidence-based methods, patients lose time and money by relying on useless methods that can, at best, provide placebo response which is usually transient. Some alternative medicine methods, including TCM, involve side effects, especially herbal extracts.

3. Georgy Margvelashvili:

   I call on everyone to refrain from taking any drastic steps and to rein in their emotions.

4. Baris Ince:

   Nobody has done a proper corruption story since ... Has bribery come to an end in Turkey? Obviously not, but journalists don't believe they can win a court case, so they say, 'I'll spare myself the trouble and refrain from writing such stories', which is extremely troublesome in terms of freedom of speech and press.

5. Kathy Lien:

   However if data continues to miss, they may refrain from signalling a change in monetary policy three months forward.