Definition of constrain

• v. t. - To secure by bonds; to chain; to bond or confine; to hold tightly; to constringe.
• v. t. - To bring into a narrow compass; to compress.
• v. t. - To hold back by force; to restrain; to repress.
• v. t. - To compel; to force; to necessitate; to oblige.
• v. t. - To violate; to ravish.
• v. t. - To produce in such a manner as to give an unnatural effect; as, a constrained voice.