Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To make smaller or narrower by binding or squeezing.
- intransitive verb To squeeze or compress.
- intransitive verb To restrict the scope or freedom of; cramp.
- intransitive verb To become constricted.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Same as
constricted . - To draw together in any part or at any point by internal force or action; contract; cause shrinkage or diminution of bulk, volume, or capacity in: as, to
constrict a canal or a duet. - To compress in one part by external force; squeeze; bind; cramp.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To draw together; to render narrower or smaller; to bind; to cramp; to contract or cause to shrink.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
narrow , especially by applyingpressure .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb squeeze or press together
- verb become tight or as if tight
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Dehydration causes vessels to constrict, which is a major cause of erectile dysfunction.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Nancy Deville 2011
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Related words in English include strict, constrict, and restriction.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
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Related words in English include strict, constrict, and restriction.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
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As soon as the cord is clamped, the ductus venosus ceases to carry blood to the heart, and it begins to constrict within the first few hours or days of life.
Tetralogy of Fallot — What is Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)? 2010
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The ligamentum arteriosum is a remnant of a blood vessel that exists normally in the fetus; it runs between the aorta and the pulmonary artery, and in doing so completes the ring and also might constrict the trachea and/or esophagus.
Vascular Ring 2010
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Thanks for the thesis there Storm – so are saying that the Federal Reserve should raise its rates (and thereby constrict lending even more)?
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I'm referring specifically to Sedgwick's 1985 book, Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire, within which she articulates the homosocial attractions shared by people of the same gender to be the cement for the same-sex alliances that constrict power and privilege in all known societies.
G. Roger Denson: Gender as Performance & Script: Reading the Art of Yvonne Rainer, Cindy Sherman, Sarah Charlesworth & Lorna Simpson After Eve Sedgwick & Judith Butler G. Roger Denson 2011
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The ductus arteriosus begins to constrict and is typically fully closed within 24 to 48 hours of life, and blood is now then fully directed into the lung.
Tetralogy of Fallot — What is Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)? 2010
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I'm referring specifically to Sedgwick's 1985 book, Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire, within which she articulates the homosocial attractions shared by people of the same gender to be the cement for the same-sex alliances that constrict power and privilege in all known societies.
G. Roger Denson: Gender as Performance & Script: Reading the Art of Yvonne Rainer, Cindy Sherman, Sarah Charlesworth & Lorna Simpson After Eve Sedgwick & Judith Butler G. Roger Denson 2011
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Unfortunately, as I introduced myself, explaining that it wasn't a gardening column, my throat began to constrict, just as it had at the screening.
Mastering the Ceremonies Ralph Gardner Jr. 2011
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