constrict

[kuh n-strikt] /kənˈstrɪkt/
verb (used with object)
1.
to draw or press in; cause to contract or shrink; compress.
2.
to slow or stop the natural course or development of:
Greed and aggressiveness constricted the nation's cultural life.
Origin
1375-1425 for earlier past participle sense; 1725-35 for current senses; late Middle English < Latin constrīctus (past participle of constringere to draw together, tie up), equivalent to con- con- + strīc- (variant stem of stringere to tie; see strict) + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
nonconstricted, adjective
nonconstricting, adjective
unconstricted, adjective
well-constricted, adjective
Synonyms
1. cramp, squeeze, bind, tighten.
Antonyms
1. expand.
Examples from the web for constrict
  • Unfortunately other arteries get affected and they start to constrict.
  • Levees constrict a river's path and raise its water level, which causes higher, faster flow.
  • Greenhouses work because they constrict convection currents, which carry away the heat.
  • And do not wear clothes that constrict the waist or abdomen.
  • Preferably something that uncovers the arms and doesn't constrict the body.
  • Both substances constrict blood vessels and transmit nerve impulses.
  • Close this nation, cow it, constrict it and you unravel its magic.
  • The real advance in acute medications is that they are not designed to constrict blood vessels, as many current medications do.
  • Too much rule of law and transparency would constrict the ruling clique's own freedom of maneuver.
  • He is unconnected with the tired old fights that constrict our politics.
British Dictionary definitions for constrict

constrict

/kənˈstrɪkt/
verb (transitive)
1.
to make smaller or narrower, esp by contracting at one place
2.
to hold in or inhibit; limit
Word Origin
C18: from Latin constrictus compressed, from constringere to tie up together; see constrain
Word Origin and History for constrict
v.

early 15c., from Latin constrictus, past participle of constringere "compress" (see constrain). A direct borrowing from Latin of the same word which, via French, became constrain. Related: Constricted; constricting.

constrict in Medicine

constrict con·strict (kən-strĭkt')
v. con·strict·ed, con·strict·ing, con·stricts
To make smaller or narrower especially by binding or squeezing.