refrain meaning
refrain :
repeated line, chorus
noun
▪ The song has a catchy refrain.
▪ The song has a catchy chorus.
▪ The poem's refrain is easy to remember.
▪ The poem's repeated line is easy to remember.
paraphrasing
▪ chorus – repeated part
▪ repetition – repeated line
refrain :
hold back, stop oneself
verb
▪ Please refrain from talking.
▪ Please stop yourself from talking.
▪ He refrained from laughing.
▪ He stopped himself from laughing.
paraphrasing
▪ abstain – hold back
▪ withhold – stop oneself
▪ restrain – hold back
▪ cease – stop
Pronunciation
refrain [rɪˈfreɪn]
The stress is on 'frain' and sounds like 'rih-frayn'.
Common phrases and grammar about refrain
refrain - Common meaning
noun
repeated line, chorus
verb
hold back, stop oneself
Part of Speech Changes for "refrain"
▪ refraining (noun) – the act of holding back
▪ refrained (adjective) – held back or stopped oneself
Common Expressions with "refrain"
▪ refrain from doing – stop oneself from doing
▪ refrain from comment – hold back from speaking
▪ refrain from laughter – stop oneself from laughing
▪ refrain from action – hold back from acting
Important examples of refrain in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, refrain is often used to mean holding back from doing something.
Example of a confusing word: restrain (to hold back physically)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Refrain as a verb often appears in grammar questions, requiring knowledge of its use to stop oneself from doing something.
refrain
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
refrain from smoking
'stop oneself from smoking', used in signs or rules.
refrain from temptation
means 'to hold back from something tempting'.
Differences between similar words and refrain
refrain
,
abstain
differences
Refrain means to stop oneself from doing something, while abstain often implies a more deliberate choice.
refrain
,
restrain
differences
Refrain is used for stopping oneself, while restrain is often used for holding back someone or something else.
Words with the same origin as refrain
The origin of refrain
refrain comes from the Latin 'refringere', meaning 'to break back', which evolved to mean holding back or stopping.
Word structure
It has the prefix re (back), root frang (break), and means 'to break back'.
Words with the same origin
The root of refrain is frang (break). Words with the same root include fragment (a piece), fracture (a break).
Please select an image in the quiz
Previous post and next post
