refrained; refraining; refrains
: to keep oneself from doing, feeling, or indulging in something and especially from following a passing impulse
refrained from having dessert
1
: a regularly recurring phrase or verse especially at the end of each stanza or division of a poem or song : chorus
also
: the musical setting of a refrain
2
: a comment or statement that is often repeated
Synonyms
Examples of refrain in a Sentence
Verb
I was going to make a joke but I refrained.
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Grant Smith, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2024
Following Combs’s federal indictment, a video of Kutcher, who co-hosted the last White Party in 2009, refraining from sharing details about the event on an episode of Hot Ones, has raised questions about the possibly criminal acts Combs’s guests may have witnessed over the years.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 5 Nov. 2024
The cold, Gucci-belt pragmatism of Thomas is the play’s existential refrain.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for refrain 
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Verb
Global markets still face a glut next year even if the OPEC+ alliance refrains from increasing supplies, the International Energy Agency in Paris estimates.
—Grant Smith, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2024
Following Combs’s federal indictment, a video of Kutcher, who co-hosted the last White Party in 2009, refraining from sharing details about the event on an episode of Hot Ones, has raised questions about the possibly criminal acts Combs’s guests may have witnessed over the years.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
There’s that earworm refrain, followed by formidably declarative verses, a powder keg of a chorus and a high-concept bridge.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 5 Nov. 2024
The cold, Gucci-belt pragmatism of Thomas is the play’s existential refrain.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for refrain
Articles Related to refrain
Dictionary Entries Near refrain
Cite this Entry
“Refrain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refrain. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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