How to Use refrain in a Sentence

refrain

1 of 2 verb
Definition of refrainnext
Synonyms for refrainnext
  • I was going to make a joke but I refrained.
  • Or the multiple pleas for the group to please refrain from running?
    — Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
  • That’s not the case this time which could be another reason for China to refrain.
    — Brittyn Clennett, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Were those opening refrains in your mind from the beginning?
    — Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024
  • He was ordered to refrain from possessing firearms and to stay away from the Machine Gun Nest, according to court records.
    — Dan Morse, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023
  • The pair keep the conversations light and refrain from getting too in the weeds of the entertainment industry.
    — Topher Gauk-Roger, Peoplemag, 31 May 2023
  • Check the care instructions and refrain from intense scrubbing.
    — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 8 Aug. 2023
  • Guests were asked to refrain from taking photos of other diners.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023
  • Officials urged people to refrain from calling 911 to test their phones.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2024
  • China, however, thus far has refrained from providing Russia weapons since the start of the war, according to the White House.
    — Josh Boak and Rob Gillies, ajc, 25 Mar. 2023
  • Well, after episode four aired, Maria asked fans to refrain from coming for the other women on social media.
    — Glamour, 19 Feb. 2024
  • Manettas’ parents were present at the courthouse this morning, but refrained from comment.
    — George Chidi, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2023
  • To hike or not hike:Fed likely to refrain from rate increase on Wednesday but signal it's not done, economists say.
    — Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 13 June 2023
  • The courts have mostly refrained from granting bail to many of these individuals.
    — Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024
  • This includes refraining from impure and unkind thoughts, vulgar words, and bad deeds.
    — Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2023
  • Most notably, Iran and its allies have largely refrained from open warfare against Israel and its allies since the Oct. 7 attack led by Hamas.
    — Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2024
  • No Mow May is a campaign that encourages people to refrain from mowing their lawns during May.
    — Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 24 May 2023
  • Sobyanin also asked Moscow residents to refrain from traveling in the city on Monday and warned of street closures.
    — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 24 June 2023
  • Kaplan advised, but did not order, the jurors to refrain from using their real names with each other.
    — Graham Kates, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2023
  • However, the retired restaurateur refrained from picking favorites for the role among the women who vied for his heart on the first season of The Golden Bachelor.
    — Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 14 Nov. 2023
  • Her team refrained from reporting on the story after failing to find any evidence to support it.
    — Hannah Abraham, Variety, 28 Apr. 2023
  • In all likelihood, only someone stuck in such day-to-day drudgery would refrain from asking too many questions when she’s offered what appears to be, if not a dream job, a safe refuge.
    — Joe Leydon, Variety, 19 Mar. 2023
  • Beijing and Moscow have deepened their partnership in recent years, though China has refrained from taking sides publicly in the war in Ukraine.
    — Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Though the family is tight-knit, both Fisher and Cohen have refrained from posting their children on social media.
    — Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2023
  • Rather than publicly taking Harry to task for his tell-all book and interviews, Charles has refrained from making any formal comment.
    — Max Taylor, NBC News, 5 May 2023
  • Prosecutors say the other two deputies at the scene refrained from intervening.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
  • If Trump returns to power, Putin can count on him to turn a blind eye to his military adventures, and Orbán can count on him to refrain from criticism of his power grabs.
    — Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024
  • In addition to seeking $1 million in damages, the nuns want the diocese to stop surveilling their technology and refrain from contacting them.
    — Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 2 June 2023
  • The union, which has since elected a new president, has also refrained from making an early endorsement.
    — Tyler Pager, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2024
  • That means asking passengers to attend to their personal hygiene and refrain from using perfume and cologne before the flight.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
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refrain

2 of 2 noun
  • A common refrain among teachers these days is that the schools need more funding.
  • I didn't know the verses of the song, so I only sang on the refrain.
  • That was the other refrain Stoller heard over and over.
    — Kat Cornetta, BostonGlobe.com, 5 July 2022
  • That’s a common refrain around here: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
    — Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Jan. 2024
  • As for worker demands, the refrain from unions is the same.
    — Dallas News, 8 Nov. 2022
  • The more common refrain was a three-word rhyme not fit for print.
    — The Arizona Republic, 12 Feb. 2023
  • The refrain is common: A player this small should not be able to hit the ball this hard.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2022
  • Navarro sings a refrain from a beloved song about the Venezuelan city.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 13 May 2023
  • But contrary to the banal refrain, all press isn’t good press.
    — Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 9 May 2022
  • Again and again the refrain: Life is challenging but God is good.
    — Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2023
  • Some fans have grown tired of hearing that refrain as the losses have piled up.
    — The Courier-Journal, 19 Feb. 2023
  • Oldham sings on the refrain of the title track, his voice crackly and rich.
    — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
  • Warnings against a return to the Cold War were a common refrain.
    — David Pierson, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023
  • Rosalía shouted during the mantra-slash-refrain, then spent the rest of the night shape-shifting as promised.
    — Chris Richards, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2022
  • The usual refrain is this, namely that there isn’t time for being stylish when in a street fight.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
  • Most hotel guests know to keep their voices down at night and refrain from smoking in the room.
    — Allison Pohle, wsj.com, 28 Apr. 2023
  • But Nelson wasn’t the only singer to launch from its desirous refrain.
    — Erin Osmon, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2024
  • Southeast Asian countries, to use their common refrain, do not want to be forced to choose.
    — John Lee, Foreign Affairs, 21 Nov. 2023
  • Biden’s refrain of the American comeback is a sharp one.
    — Ezra Klein, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
  • The more common refrain centers on letting a starter stay in too long and getting burned.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2022
  • The refrain was the same across Hollywood on Sunday as the opening numbers came.
    — Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2022
  • Miriam sang the refrain back to them: Sing to the Lord, for an overflowing victory!
    — Corinne Sullivan, Woman's Day, 21 Dec. 2022
  • That is likely to be a familiar refrain throughout the 2024 race.
    — Selina Wang, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2024
  • At the center of the legal problems now engulfing Donald Trump and Hunter Biden is the refrain that no one is above the law.
    — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 29 Aug. 2023
  • That’s the same refrain from everyone, that even if this was supposed to be the end, there are surely more stories to tell.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes, 17 June 2022
  • He was then taken from Tomsk to Omsk—which sounds like the dark refrain of a nursery rhyme.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2022
  • As one White House refrain goes, a good day for the President is one when immigration isn’t in the news.
    — Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
  • It's been a common refrain about the team all offseason, but in recent weeks, the refrain has grown stronger.
    — Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 5 Sep. 2023
  • And if Solomon’s own Trump cap wasn’t enough of a reminder to Hachmeister of who really reigns supreme here, his refrain was.
    — Jess Bidgood, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Mar. 2023
  • The driver took a plea deal and never served time for Jacobs’ death, a common refrain among victims’ families seeking justice.
    — USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'refrain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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