Meaning of "refrain" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD REFRAIN

From Latin refrēnāre to check with a bridle, from re- + frēnum a bridle.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF REFRAIN

refrain  [rɪˈfreɪn]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF REFRAIN

Refrain is a verb.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb refrain in English.

WHAT DOES REFRAIN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Refrain

A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the villanelle, the virelay, and the sestina. The use of refrains is particularly associated with where the verse-chorus-verse song structure typically places a refrain in almost every song. The refrain or chorus often sharply contrasts the verse melodically, rhythmically, and harmonically, and assumes a higher level of dynamics and activity, often with added instrumentation. Chorus form, or strophic form, is a sectional and/or additive way of structuring a piece of music based on the repetition of one formal section or block played repeatedly. See also verse-chorus form.

Definition of refrain in the English dictionary

The definition of refrain in the dictionary is usually foll by from to abstain ; forbear.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO REFRAIN

PRESENT

Present

I refrain

you refrain

he/she/it refrains

we refrain

you refrain

they refrain

Present continuous

I am refraining

you are refraining

he/she/it is refraining

we are refraining

you are refraining

they are refraining

Present perfect

I have refrained

you have refrained

he/she/it has refrained

we have refrained

you have refrained

they have refrained

Present perfect continuous

I have been refraining

you have been refraining

he/she/it has been refraining

we have been refraining

you have been refraining

they have been refraining

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I refrained

you refrained

he/she/it refrained

we refrained

you refrained

they refrained

Past continuous

I was refraining

you were refraining

he/she/it was refraining

we were refraining

you were refraining

they were refraining

Past perfect

I had refrained

you had refrained

he/she/it had refrained

we had refrained

you had refrained

they had refrained

Past perfect continuous

I had been refraining

you had been refraining

he/she/it had been refraining

we had been refraining

you had been refraining

they had been refraining

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will refrain

you will refrain

he/she/it will refrain

we will refrain

you will refrain

they will refrain

Future continuous

I will be refraining

you will be refraining

he/she/it will be refraining

we will be refraining

you will be refraining

they will be refraining

Future perfect

I will have refrained

you will have refrained

he/she/it will have refrained

we will have refrained

you will have refrained

they will have refrained

Future perfect continuous

I will have been refraining

you will have been refraining

he/she/it will have been refraining

we will have been refraining

you will have been refraining

they will have been refraining

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would refrain

you would refrain

he/she/it would refrain

we would refrain

you would refrain

they would refrain

Conditional continuous

I would be refraining

you would be refraining

he/she/it would be refraining

we would be refraining

you would be refraining

they would be refraining

Conditional perfect

I would have refrain

you would have refrain

he/she/it would have refrain

we would have refrain

you would have refrain

they would have refrain

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been refraining

you would have been refraining

he/she/it would have been refraining

we would have been refraining

you would have been refraining

they would have been refraining

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you refrain
we let´s refrain
you refrain

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to refrain

Past participle

refrained

Present Participle

refraining

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «REFRAIN»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «refrain» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of refrain

abstain · avoid · cease · chorus · desist · do without · eschew · forbear · give up · kick · leave off · melody · renounce · song · stop · tune

TRANSLATION OF REFRAIN

Find out the translation of refrain to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of refrain from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «refrain» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 忍住
• Translator English - Spanish: abstenerse
• English: refrain
• Translator English - Hindi: बचना
• Translator English - Arabic: الامتناع
• Translator English - Russian: воздерживаться
• Translator English - Portuguese: evitar
• Translator English - Bengali: ধ্রুবা
• Translator English - French: s´abstenir
• Translator English - Malay: Menahan diri
• Translator English - German: unterlassen
• Translator English - Japanese: 控える
• Translator English - Korean: 자제하다
• Translator English - Javanese: Nyegah
• Translator English - Vietnamese: kiềm chế
• Translator English - Tamil: விலகி
• Translator English - Marathi: परावृत्त
• Translator English - Turkish: kaçınmak
• Translator English - Italian: astenersi
• Translator English - Polish: powstrzymać
• Translator English - Ukrainian: утримуватися
• Translator English - Romanian: să se abțină de
• Translator English - Greek: απέχουν
• Translator English - Afrikaans: weerhou
• Translator English - Swedish: avstå
• Translator English - Norwegian: avstå

10 QUOTES WITH «REFRAIN»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word refrain.

1

Jack Henry Abbott

When I'm forced by circumstances to be in a crowd of prisoners, it's all I can do to refrain from attack.

2

Mustafa Akyol

While no Muslim worthy of his name would lose his respect for God, the Prophet Muhammad, and other symbols of Islam, he might well refrain from using legal prosecution or violent reaction to those who do not show the same respect. My basis for this claim is nothing other than the holiest source of Islam, the Quran.

3

Roseanne Barr

I actually regard Facebook as a huge bore, but I cannot refrain from participating in it. I guess I crave the feeling of hope it gives me to think that today will be different from yesterday, that I will find an interesting comment or poke or video, and on the extremely rare occasion when that happens, I am just thrilled.

4

Zygmunt Bauman

We live in a globalising world. That means that all of us, consciously or not, depend on each other. Whatever we do or refrain from doing affects the lives of people who live in places we'll never visit.

5

Hilaire Belloc

Child! Do not throw this book about; refrain from the unholy pleasure of cutting all the pictures out.

6

John O. Brennan

We will never abdicate the security of the United States to a foreign country or refrain from taking action when appropriate. But we cannot ignore the reality that cooperative counterterrorism activities are a key to our national defense.

7

Jane Welsh Carlyle

I have lived so long among people who do not understand me, been so long accustomed to refrain and disguise myself for fear of being laughed at, that I have grown as difficult to come at as a snail in a shell; and what is worse, I cannot come out of my shell when I wish it.

8

Bainbridge Colby

That does not mean that we must forego just and fair criticism, or refrain from opposition to policies which are debatable or which do not command our approval.

9

Aleister Crowley

To read a newspaper is to refrain from reading something worth while. The first discipline of education must therefore be to refuse resolutely to feed the mind with canned chatter.

10

Mitch Daniels

The public is increasingly disgusted with a steady diet of defamation, and prepared to reward those who refrain from it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «REFRAIN»

Discover the use of refrain in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to refrain and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

London Refrain

Special Feature: Study questions suitable for individual use or group discussion. London Refrain is also available complete and unabridged from Luke Thoene Productions (www.TheOneAudio.com)

Bodie Thoene, Brock Thoene, 2005

Morning's Refrain (Song of Alaska Book #2)

As dark family secrets threaten the tranquility of the life he's come to love, Dalton Lindquist must make difficult choices about the future.

Tracie Peterson, 2010

Wiley's Refrain

When the clues to the murder of a young musician point to Hawaii, a vengeful Wiley, a Portland poker professional and sleuth, heads for the tropical paradise and an encounter with his own roots as he searches for a killer in the dark ...

Lono Waiwaiole, 2005

Haunting Refrain

Professional photographer Kate McGuire is accustomed to seeing things most people overlook, but when she realises she has a newly developing psychic ability, she begins to see more than she wants to.

Ellis Vidler, 2002

Bibliographical and other studies on the Pervigilium ...

44. PERVIGILIUM. VENERIS. RMnut. Sanadon. J. Bouhier F. Noel. 0. H. Hiidtmann. [1 Refrain] 1 Refrain A. Pervigilium 1 Refrain 1 Refrain 2-4 3 2-7 6 Primum 2-7 6 2-7 6 (Refrain) 5-7 3 8 Refrain 1 Refrain 8 Refrain 8 Refrain 8 Refrain 9-11 3 ...

Cecil Clementi, 1913

Chaos, Territory, Art: Deleuze and the Framing of the Earth

Music submits the refrain to the process of deterritorialization, removing it from the place of its "origin" and functionality, enabling the refrain to free itself from a particular place, purpose, rhythm or force: "Music is a creative, active operation that ...

Elizabeth A. Grosz, 2008

The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal.

9.6.9.5. with Refrain Wholly Thine 308 9.7.9.7. D. What Did He Do? 180 9.7.9.7.D . with Refrain I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go 573 9.8.8.9. Randolph 66 Surely, Surely 688 9.8.8.9. with Refrain God Be With You 65 9.8.9.7. with Refrain We'll ...

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Cyrano de Bergerac: An Heroic Comedy in Five Acts

Then. as I end the refrain. thrust home! (The swords cross—t/zefigltt is on.) Where shall I skewer my peacock'? . . . Nay. Better for you to have shunned this brawl! Here. in the heart. thro' your ribbons gay? —In the belly. under your silken shawl'  ...

Edmond Rostand, 1951

Essays on Music and the Spoken Word and on Surveying the Field

We would say that the refrain is properly musical content, the block of content proper to music. (299) It is with the concept of the refrain that their theory of musical meaning begins to resonate most interestingly with their antirepresentational ...

Suzanne M. Lodato, David Francis Urrows, 2005

The Charles Ives Tunebook

refrain to Dixie's Land 76 refrain to Year of Jubilee 145 Dies irae 14-a The Sidewalks of New York 133 refrain to Massa's in de Cold Ground 121 Annie Lisle 95 refrain to The Sidewalks of New York 133 Ever of Thee 100-a Violets 143 ...

Clayton W. Henderson, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «REFRAIN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term refrain is used in the context of the following news items.

Ban urges parties in Burundi to refrain from violence during elections

21 July 2015 – In a “worrisome context,” and following the decision of the government of Burundi to hold the presidential election on 21 July, the United Nations ... «UN News Centre, Jul 15»

South Ossetia: Ban calls on all parties to refrain from any steps that …

“[The Secretary-General] calls on all parties to refrain from any steps that could be seen as provocative and detrimental to ongoing efforts to promote regional ... «UN News Centre, Jul 15»

RBI asks public to refrain from writing on banknotes

... the features of a genuine note," RBI said in a notification. "The public is, therefore, requested to refrain from doing anything that leads to defacement," it added. «Economic Times, Jul 15»

Act of Defiance, 'Refrain and Re-Fracture' - Exclusive Song Premiere

Drover tells us, “'Refrain and Re-Fracture' is a great example of using musical dynamics in a heavy metal song. All of us in Act of Defiance have always been ... «Loudwire, Jul 15»

NASCAR Asks Fans To 'Refrain' From Displaying Confederate Flag …

On July 2, NASCAR officials released a statement asking fans to “refrain” from displaying Confederate flags at NASCAR facilities and events. The request comes ... «Breitbart News, Jul 15»

Paris Air Show Refrain: Buy Our Older Jets

As Boeing Co. BA -1.40 % and Airbus Group SE ramp up production of a handful of new jetliners, both are facing the challenge of selling older planes to sustain ... «Wall Street Journal, Jun 15»

Rangers give familiar refrain with more potent Lightning expected

This is how they got here this year, the same way they got here last year. This is how the Rangers know how to win. So don't think it was a charade when the ... «New York Post, May 15»

US calls on North Korea to refrain from inflaming tensions in region

The US on Saturday called on North Korea to refrain from taking actions that inflame tensions in the region, after state media reported Pyongyang test-fired a ... «The Guardian, May 15»

Refrain from excess purchase of solar power: Aptel to discoms

AHMEDABAD: The Applet Tribunal of Electricity (Aptel) has advised the state power distribution companies to refrain from excessive procurement of solar power ... «Times of India, May 15»

Residents asked to refrain from outdoor watering

As a result, resident are being asked to voluntarily refrain from any unnecessary outdoor use of water until further notice, according to a city notice released this ... «Bismarck Tribune, May 15»