refrain

After two fatal shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in as many weeks, the agency will reportedly refrain, effective immediately, from conducting almost any traffic stops nationwide.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

"We're trying to at least recover the bodies," was the common refrain.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

“Human nature is essentially immutable,” was his constant refrain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

During his first press conference as Fed chair Wednesday, Kevin Warsh repeated one refrain in his answers to many reporters’ questions: that a task force is looking into it.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026

“You know, this is normally where’d I’d make some ‘friggin’ patriarchal’ joke to rile you up, but I’ll refrain because that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Jupiter.”

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Stilwell, who refrains from sharing his first name, operates on Catalina Island, a dumping ground for officers who’ve either botched cases or run afoul of their superiors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

“This proposal is decidedly neutral and refrains from saying that any asset class is any better or worse than other investment types.”

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

“This proposal is decidedly neutral and refrains from saying that any asset class is any better or worse than other investment types, as the law requires,” said U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 30, 2026

If Iran refrains from violent crackdowns on protesters, there is a chance that anti-government protestors overthrow the government.

From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026

In my ear, my Baba’s deep voice murmurs the refrains.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Central banks refrained from aggressive tightening cycles amid economic growth, a trend which Matejka and his team do not see changing dramatically.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

“I, however, refrained from offering any projections of my own, consistent with my long-held views on the SEP, at least as currently structured.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

But, unlike Hezbollah, which attacked Israel on March 2, three days after the U.S. and Israeli campaign on Iran, the Houthis had refrained from helping their ally, until Monday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

As she has in the build-up to the fight, Rousey refrained from showing the competitive edge she displayed during her early MMA career and praised Carano.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

The last few fields, furthermore, became increasingly muddy and I deliberately refrained from shining my lamp on to my shoes and turn-ups for fear of further discouragement.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Experts expect details of future potential interest-rate hikes to be kept to a minimum, owing to Warsh’s preference for refraining from issuing guidance.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

But the 70-year-old pontiff has been cautious in his statements since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that started the war on February 28, refraining from naming any party in his condemnations and appeals for peace.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

The company’s significant cash pile has drawn attention from investors with Berkshire refraining from repurchasing any of its shares in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026

"The parties must take urgent measures to protect civilians, including by refraining from the military use of civilian objects."

From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026

Schiem showed his true gentlemanly nature by refraining from any crude comments as he lay a thick slice of steaming meat atop her piece of bread.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss