refrain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The surtitles intentionally refrain from translating much of what he says, leaving the audience to rely on his loony spoken tone and loony tunes to carry meaning.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Employees should work from home, refrain from flying and use public transport, it said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The refrain “I was just doing my job” wears thin awfully fast.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2026

A common refrain among investors is that the more stocks in a benchmark index hold above that level, the more bullish the market conditions are for investors.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 14, 2026

Think of a favorite pop or gospel tune that, near the end, has the soloist "ad libbing" while the back-up singers repeat the refrain.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones