refrain
Stop oneself from doing something; abstain
Examples
In a meeting
“Please refrain from sharing confidential information outside the team.”
Over coffee
“I'm trying to refrain from checking my phone during dinner.”
Why this word
avoid
Refrain emphasizes deliberate self-restraint from an action, while avoid suggests staying away from something
stop
Refrain means choosing not to do something, while stop means ceasing an ongoing action
abstain
Refrain is general self-restraint from action, while abstain often relates to formal contexts like voting or substances
Usage tip
More formal than 'avoid.' Use in requests, policies, or when describing deliberate self-control.
Etymology
Latin 'refrenare' — to hold back, from re- (back) + frenum (bridle)
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Related words
broach
To bring up or introduce a topic for discussion
concise
Giving a lot of information clearly in few words.
ambiguous
Open to more than one interpretation; not clear or decided.
convey
To communicate or make an idea, feeling, or meaning known.
reiterate
To say something again for emphasis or clarity.
paraphrase
To restate something in different words to make it clearer or shorter.