What is another word for refrain?
Synonyms for refrain
rɪˈfreɪnre·frain
This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word refrain.
English Synonyms and Antonyms
refrain
Strains of music may gradually or suddenly cease. A man quits work on the instant; he may discontinue a practise gradually; he quits suddenly and completely; he stops short in what he may or may not resume; he pauses in what he will probably resume. What intermits or is intermitted returns again, as a fever that intermits. Compare ABANDON; DIE; END; REST.
Synonyms:
abstain, bring to an end, cease, come to an end, conclude, desist, discontinue, end, end, finish, give over, intermit, leave off, pause, quit, stop, terminateAntonyms:
begin, commence, enter upon, inaugurate, initiate, institute, originate, set about, set going, set in operation, set on foot, startPreposition:
Cease from anger.
Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
Princeton's WordNet
refrain, chorusverb
the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers
Synonyms:
chorus line, chorusrefrain, forbearverb
resist doing something
"He refrained from hitting him back"; "she could not forbear weeping"
abstain, refrain, desistverb
choose not to consume
"I abstain from alcohol"
Dictionary of English Synonymes
refrainverb
refrainverb
Synonyms:
abstain, forbear, hold one's self back, deny one's self, stay one's hand, keep one's self from indulgencerefrainnoun
Synonyms:
burden (of a song)
Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words
PPDB, the paraphrase database
List of paraphrases for "refrain":
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
- [["1515","2"],["1520","1"],["1524","2"],["1563","1"],["1579","1"],["1581","2"],["1582","2"],["1589","1"],["1590","2"],["1592","1"],["1600","1"],["1607","5"],["1626","1"],["1635","2"],["1643","1"],["1644","6"],["1647","2"],["1656","12"],["1658","12"],["1660","1"],["1662","2"],["1664","2"],["1667","3"],["1668","1"],["1669","4"],["1670","2"],["1673","6"],["1675","11"],["1676","6"],["1677","3"],["1679","2"],["1680","3"],["1681","4"],["1682","12"],["1683","5"],["1684","2"],["1685","5"],["1686","4"],["1687","1"],["1688","9"],["1689","11"],["1690","2"],["1691","1"],["1692","21"],["1693","4"],["1694","2"],["1695","5"],["1696","8"],["1698","11"],["1699","6"],["1700","12"],["1701","8"],["1702","27"],["1703","10"],["1704","44"],["1705","12"],["1706","14"],["1707","17"],["1708","62"],["1709","17"],["1710","28"],["1711","18"],["1712","20"],["1713","32"],["1714","33"],["1715","19"],["1716","24"],["1717","33"],["1718","11"],["1719","25"],["1720","101"],["1721","34"],["1722","45"],["1723","35"],["1724","35"],["1725","27"],["1726","28"],["1727","37"],["1728","28"],["1729","37"],["1730","65"],["1731","48"],["1732","34"],["1733","53"],["1734","37"],["1735","19"],["1736","32"],["1737","62"],["1738","54"],["1739","39"],["1740","40"],["1741","35"],["1742","42"],["1743","61"],["1744","43"],["1745","36"],["1746","21"],["1747","51"],["1748","57"],["1749","49"],["1750","69"],["1751","65"],["1752","50"],["1753","80"],["1754","65"],["1755","86"],["1756","25"],["1757","44"],["1758","79"],["1759","71"],["1760","65"],["1761","66"],["1762","41"],["1763","68"],["1764","54"],["1765","60"],["1766","75"],["1767","64"],["1768","95"],["1769","56"],["1770","80"],["1771","65"],["1772","85"],["1773","55"],["1774","87"],["1775","91"],["1776","73"],["1777","74"],["1778","81"],["1779","70"],["1780","100"],["1781","81"],["1782","92"],["1783","70"],["1784","89"],["1785","141"],["1786","154"],["1787","169"],["1788","208"],["1789","181"],["1790","211"],["1791","276"],["1792","231"],["1793","206"],["1794","199"],["1795","248"],["1796","398"],["1797","276"],["1798","263"],["1799","334"],["1800","407"],["1801","551"],["1802","457"],["1803","525"],["1804","509"],["1805","566"],["1806","646"],["1807","765"],["1808","763"],["1809","666"],["1810","730"],["1811","851"],["1812","866"],["1813","764"],["1814","914"],["1815","911"],["1816","1036"],["1817","1004"],["1818","1057"],["1819","982"],["1820","1562"],["1821","1281"],["1822","1678"],["1823","1712"],["1824","1922"],["1825","2254"],["1826","1571"],["1827","1551"],["1828","1611"],["1829","1989"],["1830","2307"],["1831","2049"],["1832","2171"],["1833","2258"],["1834","2163"],["1835","2679"],["1836","2748"],["1837","2334"],["1838","2401"],["1839","2752"],["1840","3052"],["1841","2603"],["1842","2278"],["1843","2437"],["1844","2718"],["1845","2891"],["1846","2971"],["1847","3085"],["1848","3013"],["1849","3331"],["1850","3381"],["1851","3205"],["1852","3893"],["1853","4506"],["1854","4173"],["1855","3821"],["1856","4551"],["1857","3908"],["1858","3916"],["1859","3637"],["1860","4199"],["1861","3093"],["1862","2590"],["1863","2781"],["1864","3286"],["1865","3144"],["1866","3755"],["1867","3338"],["1868","3694"],["1869","3458"],["1870","3652"],["1871","3970"],["1872","3942"],["1873","3754"],["1874","4240"],["1875","4622"],["1876","4558"],["1877","4737"],["1878","3991"],["1879","4161"],["1880","5715"],["1881","5140"],["1882","5894"],["1883","6544"],["1884","5635"],["1885","5957"],["1886","5021"],["1887","5754"],["1888","5509"],["1889","4980"],["1890","5319"],["1891","6028"],["1892","6631"],["1893","6771"],["1894","6174"],["1895","7255"],["1896","7230"],["1897","7527"],["1898","8337"],["1899","9888"],["1900","9793"],["1901","10598"],["1902","9835"],["1903","9591"],["1904","9948"],["1905","9500"],["1906","10178"],["1907","10746"],["1908","9874"],["1909","8764"],["1910","10108"],["1911","10196"],["1912","9650"],["1913","9978"],["1914","10359"],["1915","8722"],["1916","8185"],["1917","8753"],["1918","7840"],["1919","8166"],["1920","9980"],["1921","9295"],["1922","10721"],["1923","9282"],["1924","8284"],["1925","8470"],["1926","8042"],["1927","9373"],["1928","9257"],["1929","9535"],["1930","9721"],["1931","9480"],["1932","8800"],["1933","7564"],["1934","8760"],["1935","9838"],["1936","9386"],["1937","9636"],["1938","9430"],["1939","9110"],["1940","8988"],["1941","7857"],["1942","7566"],["1943","6006"],["1944","5589"],["1945","6625"],["1946","8818"],["1947","10275"],["1948","11640"],["1949","11686"],["1950","12724"],["1951","11473"],["1952","12185"],["1953","10830"],["1954","11459"],["1955","12555"],["1956","12412"],["1957","14285"],["1958","13874"],["1959","14521"],["1960","16157"],["1961","17236"],["1962","18678"],["1963","20072"],["1964","20206"],["1965","22729"],["1966","24464"],["1967","24701"],["1968","26132"],["1969","25977"],["1970","27813"],["1971","26201"],["1972","26984"],["1973","25075"],["1974","24681"],["1975","24745"],["1976","24810"],["1977","24775"],["1978","25812"],["1979","25937"],["1980","25581"],["1981","26924"],["1982","27398"],["1983","28862"],["1984","28073"],["1985","29111"],["1986","32332"],["1987","33543"],["1988","34869"],["1989","37177"],["1990","38226"],["1991","38372"],["1992","40584"],["1993","40638"],["1994","41329"],["1995","46304"],["1996","48194"],["1997","48675"],["1998","50696"],["1999","53084"],["2000","59089"],["2001","59264"],["2002","64230"],["2003","72409"],["2004","78847"],["2005","77874"],["2006","84211"],["2007","92081"],["2008","122901"]]
Words popularity by usage frequency
ranking | word | |
---|---|---|
#317 | end | |
#656 | keep | |
#1038 | stop | |
#1275 | hold | |
#2215 | avoid | |
#2674 | finish | |
#6027 | quit | |
#8026 | chorus | |
#8648 | conclude | |
#10518 | terminate | |
#10611 | pause | |
#11444 | cease | |
#17539 | refrain | |
#22808 | discontinue | |
#23641 | withhold | |
#28757 | abstain | |
#30094 | restrain | |
#35669 | desist | |
#63683 | abstaining | |
#90962 | forbear | |
#318728 | intermit |
How to use refrain in a sentence?
In order to be utterly happy the only thing necessary is to refrain from comparing this moment with other moments in the past, which I often did not fully enjoy because I was comparing them with other moments of the future.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull:
We urge all claimants in the South China Sea to refrain from any building of islands, any militarization of islands, any land reclamation, it is absolutely critical that we ensure that there is a lowering of tensions.
SPAM, A POPULAR VEHICLE FOR MALWARE, STILL TRICKS PEOPLE In the past, a common refrain from Mac enthusiasts was that Apple computers were n’t vulnerable to viruses like PCs. Well, that’s definitely not the case anymore. Even though there are plenty of Mac users that are quick to point out that Macs shouldn't need protecting by any security software, it's a fact that Macs are being targeted exclusively by bad guys more and more, macs are actually getting hacked by a variety of methods such as scripting languages [ and ] web-based attacks … Mac owners are not any safer than Windows users.
We in the West do not refrain from childbirth because we are concerned about the population explosion or because we feel we cannot afford children, but because we do not like children.
The National Resistance Front proposes that the Taliban stop its military operations in Panjshir Valley, Andarab, Parwan and Kapisa and withdraw its forces from Panjshir Valley and Andarab. In return, The National Resistance Front will direct The National Resistance Front forces to refrain from military action.
Translations for refrain
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- امتنعArabic
- refrénCzech
- refrænDanish
- Abstand nehmen von, sich zurückhalten, RefrainGerman
- επωδόςGreek
- refrenoEsperanto
- abstenerse, retenerse, estribilloSpanish
- خودداری کردنPersian
- pidättäytyä, kertosäe, pidätelläFinnish
- refrain, s'abstenir, se retenirFrench
- sèistScottish Gaelic
- बचनाHindi
- refrénHungarian
- menahan diriIndonesian
- refrenoIdo
- astenersiItalian
- 慎む, リフレーン, 差し控えるJapanese
- ದೂರವಿರಿKannada
- refrein, inhouden, zich niet inlaten met, zich onthouden van, bedwingen, tegenhoudenDutch
- tilbake, refreng, avholde, holde, avståNorwegian
- refrenPolish
- abster-se, refrãoPortuguese
- refrenRomanian
- воздер, воздержаться, воздерживаться, рефре́н, припе́вRussian
- refrenSlovene
- avståSwedish
- தடுத்தல்Tamil
- పల్లవిTelugu
- ละเว้นThai
- kaçınmakTurkish
- resploe, rifrinWalloon
- רעפרעןYiddish
- 副歌Chinese
Get even more translations for refrain »
Translation
Find a translation for the refrain synonym in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"refrain." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 17 Feb. 2025. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/refrain>.
Discuss these refrain synonyms with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In