Meaning & use
refrain
To stop yourself from doing something, especially something you want to do.
See it in a sentence
Please refrain from using your phone during tonight's performance in the theater.
He refrained from commenting on the decision until he had all the facts.
A note on using this word
Refrain is followed by 'from' plus a gerund, as in 'refrain from speaking,' not an infinitive.
Words with a similar meaning
abstainhold back
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
indulge
Another way to use it
2. noun
A phrase or line repeated regularly in a poem or song, especially at the end of each verse.
The audience sang along loudly every time the chorus reached its familiar refrain.
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