constraint n
1. the state of being physically constrained; "dogs should be kept under restraint" [syn: restraint]
2. a device that retards something's motion; "the car did not have proper restraints fitted" [syn: restraint]
3. the act of constraining; the threat or use of force to control the thoughts or behavior of others

Constraint \Con*straint"\, n. [OF. constrainte, F. constrainte.] The act of constraining, or the state of being constrained; that which compels to, or restrains from, action; compulsion; restraint; necessity. Long imprisonment and hard constraint. --Spenser. Not by constraint, but by my choice, I came. --Dryden. Syn: Compulsion; violence; necessity; urgency. Usage: Constraint, Compulsion. Constraint implies strong binding force; as, the constraint of necessity; the constraint of fear. Compulsion implies the exertion of some urgent impelling force; as, driven by compulsion. The former prevents us from acting agreeably to our wishes; the latter forces us to act contrary to our will. Compulsion is always produced by some active agent; a constraint may be laid upon us by the forms of civil society, or by other outward circumstances. --Crabb.

See more meaning on Constraint...

• Constraint: Constraint may refer to: Theory of Constraints , in business management. Loading gauge or structure gauge (constraints in engineering) ...
• Constraint (mathematics): In mathematics , a constraint is a condition that a solution to an optimization problem must satisfy. types of constraints: equality ...
• Constraint satisfaction: In artificial intelligence and operations research , constraint satisfaction is the process of finding a solution to a set of constraint s ...
• Constraint programming: Constraint programming is a programming paradigm wherein relations between variables are stated in the form of constraint s. ...
• Constraint algorithm: In mechanics , a constraint algorithm is a method for satisfying constraints for bodies that obey Newton's equations of motion. ...
• Integrity constraints: Integrity constraints are used to ensure accuracy and consistency of data in a relational database . date November 2010 Data integrity is ...

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