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   refrain

   /rɪˈfreɪn/

   noun

   • 1. a repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse.
   • ▪ the musical accompaniment for a refrain: "he would play the refrain"
   • ▪ a comment or complaint that is often repeated: "‘Poor Tom’ had become the constant refrain of his friends"

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Old French, from refraindre ‘break’, based on Latin refringere ‘break up’ (because the refrain ‘broke’ the sequence).

   Scrabble Points: 10

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2. People also ask

   What does refrain mean?

   • Get a quick, free translation! REFRAIN meaning: 1. to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something: 2. a short part of a song or poem that is…. Learn more.

   REFRAIN | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

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   What is a refrain in a song?

   • A refrain is a short, simple part of a song, which is repeated many times. ...a refrain from an old song. A refrain is a comment or saying that people often repeat. Rosa's constant refrain is that she doesn't have a life. Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers Collins English Dictionary.

   REFRAIN definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

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   What does refrain from STH mean?

   • to refrain from sth | to refrain from doing sth If you refrain from doing something, you deliberately do not do it. She refrained from making any comment. A refrain is a short, simple part of a song, which is repeated many times. ...a refrain from an old song.

   REFRAIN definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

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   When do you use the verb refrain?

   • Use the verb refrain if you have a sudden impulse to do something and you have stopped yourself from doing it. It's usually hard to refrain from doing something: you might find it difficult to refrain from eating dessert after dinner, for example — especially when your aunt makes her double chocolate chunk brownies.

   Refrain - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

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3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishREFRAIN | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

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   REFRAIN definition: 1. to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something: 2. a short part of a song or poem that is…. Learn more.

4. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › refrainRefrain Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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   noun. 1. : a regularly recurring phrase or verse especially at the end of each stanza or division of a poem or song : chorus. also : the musical setting of a refrain. 2. : a comment or statement that is often repeated. Synonyms. Verb. abjure. abstain (from) forbear. forgo. forego. keep (from) withhold (from)

5. www.dictionary.com › browse › refrainREFRAIN Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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   Refrain definition: to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed by from). See examples of REFRAIN used in a sentence.

6. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishREFRAIN definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

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   1. verb. If you refrain from doing something, you deliberately do not do it. Mrs Hardie refrained from making any comment. [VERB + from] He appealed to all factions to refrain from violence. [V from -ing/n] Synonyms: stop, avoid, give up, cease More Synonyms of refrain. 2. countable noun.

7. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › refrainRefrain - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › refrain

   No need to hold back when using refrain as a noun; it’s the part of a song or poem that repeats. Definitions of refrain. verb. resist doing something. “He refrained from hitting him back”. synonyms: forbear. see more. verb. choose not to consume.

8. www.oed.com › dictionary › refrain_n1refrain, n.¹ meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English ...

   www.oed.com › dictionary › refrain_n1

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   A repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse. Refraynt of a balade, refraynt. Envoy, the refreine of a Ballade, that is, the foot of a song. Dancing and throwing in alternately the refrain or burthen of the song.

9. dictionary.cambridge.org › english › refrainREFRAIN | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › english › refrain

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   REFRAIN meaning: 1. to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something: 2. a short part of a song or poem that is…. Learn more.