constrict

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con·strict / kənˈstrikt/ • v. [tr.] make narrower, esp. by encircling pressure: chemicals that constrict the blood vessels. ∎  [intr.] become narrower: he felt his throat constrict. ∎  (of a snake) coil around (prey) in order to asphyxiate it. ∎ fig. restrict: the fear and the reality of crime constrict many people's lives.DERIVATIVES: con·stric·tion / -ˈstrikshən/ n.con·stric·tive / -tiv/ adj.

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