refrain as a noun: - 1
as a verb: - 1
- 2
refrain
noun
1 refrain
The part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers.
synonym: chorus.
Roget 104:
repetition,
iteration,
reiteration,
harping,
recurrence,
succession,
run;
battology,
tautology;
monotony,
tautophony;
rhythm
etc.
138;
diffuseness,
pleonasm,
redundancy.
chimes,
repetend,
echo,
ritornello†,
burden of a song,
refrain;
rehearsal;
rechauffe [Fr.],
rifacimento [It],
recapitulation.
cuckoo
etc.
(imitation)
19;
reverberation
etc.
408;
drumming
etc.
(roll)
407;
renewal
etc.
(restoration)
660.
twice-told tale;
old story,
old song;
second edition,
new edition;
reappearance,
reproduction,
recursion [Comp.];
periodicity
etc.
138.
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Dutch: chorus, keervers, keerzang, refrein
Polish: refren
verb
1 refrain
Resist doing something:
— He refrained from hitting him back.
synonym: forbear.
Roget 953:
be temperate
etc.
adj.;
abstain,
forbear,
refrain,
deny oneself,
spare,
swear off.
know when one has had enough,
know one's limit.
take the pledge,
go on the wagon.
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Dutch: abstineren, inhouden, laten, nalaten, onthouden
2 refrain
Choose not to consume.
synonyms: abstain, desist.
Roget 623:
abstain,
refrain,
spare,
not attempt;
not do
etc.
681;
maintain the even tenor of one's way.
eschew,
keep from,
let alone,
have nothing to do with;
keep aloof keep off,
stand aloof,
stand off,
hold aloof,
hold off;
take no part in,
have no hand in.
avoid,
shun;
steer clear of,
keep clear of;
fight shy of;
keep one's distance,
keep at a respectful distance;
keep out of the way,
get out of the way;
evade,
elude,
turn away from;
set one's face against
etc.
(oppose)
708;
deny oneself.
shrink back;
hang back,
hold back,
draw back;
recoil
etc.
277;
retire
etc.
(recede)
287;
flinch,
blink,
blench,
shy,
shirk,
dodge,
parry,
make way for,
give place to.
beat a retreat;
turn tail,
turn one's back;
take to one's heels;
runaway,
run for one's life;
cut and run;
be off like a shot;
fly,
flee;
fly away,
flee away,
run away from;
take flight,
take to flight;
desert,
elope;
make off,
scamper off,
sneak off,
shuffle off,
sheer off;
break away,
tear oneself away,
slip away,
slink away,
steel away,
make away from,
scamper away from,
sneak away from,
shuffle away from,
sheer away from;
slip cable,
part company,
turn one's heel;
sneak out of,
play truant,
give one the go by,
give leg bail,
take French leave,
slope,
decamp,
flit,
bolt,
abscond,
levant,
skedaddle,
absquatulat [U.S.],
cut one's stick,
walk one's chalks,
show a light pair of heels,
make oneself scarce;
escape
etc.
671;
go away
etc.
(depart)
293;
abandon
etc.
624;
reject
etc.
610.
lead one a dance,
lead one a pretty dance;
throw off the scent,
play at hide and seek.
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Roget 681:
not do,
not act,
not attempt;
be inactive
etc.
683;
abstain from doing,
do nothing,
hold,
spare;
not stir,
not move,
not lift a finger,
not lift a foot,
not lift a peg;
fold one's arms,
fold one's hands;
leave alone,
let alone;
let be,
let pass,
let things take their course,
let it have its way,
let well alone,
let well enough alone;
quieta non movere [Lat.];
stare super antiquas vias [Lat.];
rest and be thankful,
live and let live;
lie rest upon one's oars;
laisser aller [Fr.],
faire [Fr.];
stand aloof;
refrain
etc.
(avoid)
623,
keep oneself from doing;
remit one's efforts,
relax one's efforts;
desist
etc.
(relinquish)
624;
stop
etc.
(cease)
142;
pause
etc.
(be quiet)
265.
wait,
lie in wait,
bide one's time,
take time,
tide it over.
cool one's heels,
kick one's heels;
while away the time,
while away tedious hours;
pass the time,
fill up the time,
beguile the time;
talk against time;
let the grass grow under one's feet;
waste time
etc.
(inactive)
683.
lie by,
lie on the shelf,
lie in ordinary,
lie idle,
lie to,
lie fallow;
keep quiet,
slug;
have nothing to do,
whistle for want of thought.
undo,
do away with;
take down,
take to pieces;
destroy
etc.
162.
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Dutch: staken, stoppen, ophouden
Moby thesaurus: PS, Parthian shot, Spenserian stanza, abandon, abort, abstain, abstain from, addendum, afterthought, air, anacrusis, antistrophe, appendix, aria, arrest, avoid, back matter, bass passage, belay, bis, bob, book, bourdon, bridge, burden, cadence, cancel, canto, cantus, cease, chant, check, chorus, coda, codicil, colophon, conclusion, consequence, constrain, continuance, continuation, couplet, curb, cut it out, descant, desist, development, discontinue, dispense with, distich, ditto, division, do without, double take, drop it, dying words, end, envoi, epilogue, epode, eschew, exposition, figure, folderol, follow-through, follow-up, forbear, forgo, give over, give up, halt, harmonic close, have done with, heptastich, hexastich, hold, hold aloof from, hold back, hold off, inhibit, interlude, intermezzo, interrupt, introductory phrase, keep, keep back, keep from, keep in hand, knock it off, last words, lay, lay off, leave off, let alone, let go by, line, measure, melodia, melodic line, melody, monostich, movement, musical phrase, musical sentence, never touch, not touch, not use, note, octastich, octave, octet, ornament, ottava rima, part, parting shot, pass up, passage, pentastich, period, peroration, phrase, postface, postfix, postlude, postscript, quatrain, quit, refrain from, relinquish, renounce, repeat, repetend, reprise, reserve, resolution, response, restrain, rhyme royal, ritornello, save, scrub, second thought, section, septet, sequel, sequela, sequelae, sequelant, sequent, sequitur, sestet, sextet, shun, solo, solo part, song, soprano part, spare, stand aloof from, stanza, statement, stave, stay, stop, strain, strophe, subscript, suffix, supplement, swan song, syllable, tag, tailpiece, tercet, terminate, terza rima, tetrastich, treble, triplet, tristich, tune, tutti, tutti passage, undersong, variation, verse, waive, withhold ... show more.
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