Constrict
/kənˈstrɪkt/
verbB2
Definition
Constrict means to make a space or object smaller by pressing or squeezing it. It can be used for physical things like a tight band around your arm or for more abstract ideas like limiting freedom or movement. When something constricts, it becomes narrower or tighter.
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See It in Action
To make something physically tighter or narrower by squeezing
- •The tight belt constricted his waist uncomfortably.
- •Blood vessels constrict to reduce blood flow when cold.
- •The snake constricted its prey before swallowing it.
To limit or reduce freedom, space, or movement
- •The heavy rules constricted the students’ creativity.
- •Fear can constrict a person’s ability to speak freely.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "constrict" like "tighten," but stronger and more active—like squeezing something hard to make it smaller
- ✓Picture a snake wrapping its body tightly around a branch or prey, making it smaller and harder to move
- ✓It's the feeling when your throat feels tight because you are nervous or scared
- ✓Sounds like "con-STRICT" → imagine a strict teacher squeezing rules tightly, leaving no space to move freely
- ✓Think of a boa constrictor snake that squeezes its prey until it can't move
- ✓NOT like "loosen" (make less tight), constrict means to make tighter or smaller
- ✓NOT like "close" (just shutting something), constrict means squeezing to reduce size or space
- ✓NOT like "block" (stop completely), constrict allows some movement but less than before
Try Other Words
- •Tighten: to make something less loose (Use when the pressure or squeezing is mild or normal)
- •Squeeze: to press something firmly from all sides (Use when focusing on the action of pressing rather than the result)
- •Narrow: to make something less wide (Use when the focus is on width or space reduction)
- •Compress: to press or push together (Use in more technical or physical contexts)
Unboxing
- •Prefix "con-" means "together" or "with"
- •Root "strict" comes from Latin "stringere," meaning "to draw tight" or "bind"
- •Origin: From Latin "constringere," meaning to bind tightly or compress
- •First used in English in the late 1500s to mean tightening or binding
- •Today, used both for physical tightening and limiting actions or freedoms
Reflect & Connect
•How does the idea of constriction apply to feelings or situations, not just physical things?
•Can constriction ever be a good thing? When might making something tighter or smaller help?
Fill in the blanks
1.When the cold weather came, the blood vessels constricted to ___ heat loss from the body.
2.A boa constrictor kills its prey by wrapping and constricting, making it ___ to breathe or move.
3.Rules that constrict creativity often make people feel ___ and unable to express new ideas.
4.Unlike "tighten," constrict usually means making something ___ or limiting more strongly.
5.When someone feels anxious, their throat may constrict, making it ___ to speak clearly.
6.The tourniquet was used to constrict blood flow, ___ bleeding during the injury.
7.If a space constricts, it becomes ___, making it hard for people or objects to pass through.