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# refrain

«refrain» in Mova's school dictionary: **To stop yourself from doing something: please refrain…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (refrain, refrains, refrained, refraining); noun (a refrain, refrains)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) To stop yourself from doing something: please refrain from talking. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#m1)

2) (noun) The part of a song or poem that is repeated, the chorus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#m2)

3) (noun) A comment or complaint that people keep repeating. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In formal signs and notices: «Please refrain from eating in the library.» In music and poetry lessons, the refrain is the repeated lines. Phrases: refrain from doing, a familiar refrain.

### examples

- Please refrain from running in the corridors. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#x1)
- Passengers must refrain from smoking. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#x2)
- Everyone joined in the refrain of the song. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#x3)
- The poem has a refrain at the end of each verse. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#x4)
- I refrained from laughing at his joke. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#x5)
- «Are we there yet?» was the children's constant refrain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#x6)
- Every verse ended with this refrain,-- [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/#x7)

### note

The verb takes «from» + -ing: refrain from shouting. It is formal; in ordinary talk say «stop» or «don't». The noun refrain is like a chorus.

### In the corpora

- [And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said: 'Set on bread.'](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.1433/)
- [Wilt Thou refrain Thyself for these things, O LORD?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/ISA.1375/)
- [I have preached righteousness in the great congregation, lo, I did not refrain my lips; O LORD, Thou knowest.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.664/)
- [I have refrained my feet from every evil way, in order that I might observe Thy word.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.2266/)
- [In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression; but he that refraineth his lips is wise.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PRO.277/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «refrain» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/refrain/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.