Meaning & use
restriction
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Meanings
nouncountable
A rule, law or condition that limits what people may do or how much they may have.
Grammar: Often followed by on: restrictions on travel; used in the plural for several rules.
Patterns
- restrictions on something
- impose a restriction
- lift a restriction
The city placed a restriction on water use during the drought.
There are no age restrictions for this course.
The restrictions on parking will begin next week.
noununcountable
The act of limiting something, or the condition of being limited in what you can do.
Grammar: Often followed by of: restriction of movement.
Patterns
- restriction of something
- without restriction
The restriction of movement frustrated many residents.
The park is open to everyone without restriction.
Illness caused a restriction in her daily activities.
nouncountable
Something that stops you from doing what you want; a limitation or disadvantage.
Grammar: Common with personal or physical limits: a restriction on my time.
Patterns
- a restriction on someone's time
- feel a restriction
The tight schedule felt like a restriction on his creativity.
Her wheelchair was no restriction on her love of travel.
Small budgets are a restriction for many schools.
Word forms
| plural | restrictions |
|---|
Common combinations
- travel restrictions
- Travel restrictions were lifted in the spring.
- impose restrictions
- The council imposed restrictions on night-time noise.
- lift restrictions
- The government lifted restrictions on public gatherings.
- strict restrictions
- Strict restrictions apply to visitors.
- dietary restrictions
- Please tell us about any dietary restrictions.
- speed restriction
- A speed restriction is in force near the school.
Synonyms and how they differ
- limit
- Limit marks the point beyond which you cannot go, while restriction is the rule or condition that sets it.
- constraint
- Constraint often describes a pressure such as time or money, not necessarily a rule someone made.
- curb
- Curb suggests holding back something harmful, such as spending, and is shorter and less formal.
- regulation
- Regulation is an official rule made by an authority, while restriction can also be any limiting condition.
Opposites
Word family
- restrict verb
- to put limits on something
- restricted adjective
- limited or not open to everyone
- restrictive adjective
- preventing people from doing what they want
- restrictively adverb
- in a way that limits
- unrestricted adjective
- free from limits
Commonly confused: restriction or restraint? restriction or constriction?
restriction vs restraint
Restraint is holding back your own actions or feelings, while restriction is a limit placed on you by rules or circumstances.
restriction vs constriction
Constriction means narrowing or squeezing, as of a blood vessel, and is not about rules.
Practice
Which preposition fits? 'The council introduced a new restriction ____ plastic bags.'
Choose one answer.
Restriction normally takes 'on' to say what is limited. 'At' and 'with' do not work in this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “restriction”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.