Refrain

Definitions: Refrain

Refrain

Noun

1. The part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers.

Verb

1. Not do something; "He refrained from hitting him back"; "she could not forbear weeping".

2. Choose to refrain; "I abstain from alcohol".

Date "refrain" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Synonyms: Refrain

Synonyms: chorus (n), abstain (v), desist (v), forbear (v). (additional references)

Antonyms: act (v), consume (v). (additional references)

A refrain (from the Old French refraindre "to repeat," likely from Vulgar Latin refringere) is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song.

Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the villanelle, the virelay, and the sestina. However, the use of refrains is particularly associated with popular music, especially rock and roll, where the verse-chorus-verse song structure typically places a refrain in almost every song.

In music, a refrain has two parts: the lyrics of the song, and the melody. Sometimes refrains vary their words slightly when repeated; recognisability is given to the refrain by the fact that it is always sung to the same tune, and the rhymes, if present, are preserved despite the variations of the words. Such a refrain is featured in The Star Spangled Banner, which contains a refrain which is introduced by a different phrase in each verse, but which always ends:

. . . does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

A similar refrain is found in the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which affirms in successive verses that "Our God," or "His Truth." is "marching on."

Refrains usually, but do not always, come at the end of the verse. Some songs, especially ballads, incorporate refrains into each verse. For example, the traditional ballad The Cruel Sister includes a refrain mid-verse:

There lived a lady by the North Sea shore,

Lay the bent to the bonny broom

Two daughters were the babes she bore.

Fa la la &c.

As one grew bright as is the sun,

Lay the bent to the bonny broom

So coal black grew the other one.

Fa la la &c.

. . .

Here, the refrain is syntactically independent of the narrative poem in the song, and has no obvious relationship to its subject. The device has sometimes been used, however, to add material which does in fact relate to the subject of the poem. Such a refrain is found in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's Troy Town:

Heavenborn Helen, Sparta's queen,

O Troy Town!

Had two breasts of heavenly sheen,

The sun and moon of the heart's desire:

All Love's lordship lay between,

O Troy's down,

Tall Troy's on fire!

. . .

Phrases of apparent nonsense in refrains (Lay the bent to the bonny broom?), and solfege syllables such as fa la la, familiar from the Christmas carol Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly, have given rise to much speculation. Some believe that the traditional refrain Hob a derry down O encountered in some English folksongs is in fact an ancient Celtic phrase meaning "dance around the oak tree." These suggestions remain controversial.

External links and references

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Absence of Choice	Verb: be neutral; Adjective: have no choice, have no election; waive, not vote; abstain from voting, refrain from voting; leave undecided; "make a virtue of necessity".
Avoidance	Verb: abstain, refrain, spare, not attempt; not do; maintain the even tenor of one's way.
Dejection	Refrain from laughter, keep one's countenance; be grave, look grave; Adjective: repress a smile.
Inaction	Verb: not do, not act, not attempt; be inactive; 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; stare super antiquas vias; rest and be thankful, live and let live; lie rest upon one's oars; laisser aller, faire; stand aloof; refrain; (avoid) keep oneself from doing; remit one's efforts, relax one's efforts; desist; (relinquish); stop; (cease); pause; (be quiet).
Repetition	Chimes, repetend, echo, ritornello, burden of a song, refrain; rehearsal; rechauffe, rifacimento, recapitulation.
Temperance	Verb: be temperate; Adjective: abstain, forbear, refrain, deny oneself, spare,swear off.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Crosswords: Refrain

English words defined with "refrain": abstain, assurance, avoid ♦ ballad, bottle up ♦ Ca ira, Chant royal, court order ♦ deduct, Dehort, designated driver, desist ♦ fa la, Faburden, fal la, forgo ♦ give up ♦ holy day of obligation ♦ keep off, keep one's mouth shut, keep quiet ♦ lay, leave, leave alone, leave behind ♦ pledge ♦ recoup, Refrained, Refraining, Refret, Responsory, rest, rondeau, rondel, roundel, roundelay ♦ save, shut one's mouth, spare, stay off, suppress ♦ To hold one's peace, To keep from, To keep one's distance, To leave alone, To let alone, To sit up, tra-la, tra-la-la ♦ Undersong, unilateral contract ♦ Virelay ♦ withhold. (references)

Specialty definitions using "refrain": Administrative Order, Administrative Order On Consent ♦ Burden of a Song ♦ INSPECTOR, ELECTRICAL ♦ Jamambuxes ♦ Lilli-Burlero ♦ Shimei ♦ udvikling i fødselskontrol, ultra-fast, ultra-high-speed. (references)

Etymologies containing "refrain": Limerick. (references)

Non-English Usage: "Refrain" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses.

French (burden, refrain, tune), German (burden, chorus, refrain), Italian (refrain).

Domain	Usage
Screenplays	So that's my refrain, I live in hell, 'cause I've been expelled from heaven. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; writing credit: Doreen Spicer) Whoa! Lady, I will gladly get you off this train. I will throw you off this train, if necessary, but kindly refrain from any physical act that is not of an erotic nature. (Moonlighting; writing credit: Eric Blakeney) Will you please refrain from touching me while I am eating? (Ed, Edd n' Eddy; writing credit: Jan Dirchsen; Mikkel Dyrting)
Lyrics	A time to refrain from embracing ("Turn Turn Turn"; performing artist: The Byrds)
Movie/TV Titles	Le Grand refrain (1936)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Domain	Title
Books	A Haunting Refrain (reference) A Sweet Refrain (Arabesque) (reference) A Time to Refrain (reference) Haunting Refrain (reference) Love's Cherished Refrain (Chloe Celeste Chronicles, Book 4) (reference) (more book examples)

Music	Memories of Love's Refrain (reference) Sweet Refrain (reference) The Old Refrain (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Author	Quotation
Caspar David Friedrich	If [the artist] sees nothing within him, then he should also refrain from painting what he sees before him.
Horace	Refrain from asking what going to happen tomorrow, and everyday that fortune grants you, count as gain.
John Calvin	Because the Papists persecute the truth should we, on that account, refrain from repressing error?
Niccolo Machiavelli	But above all, a prince must refrain from taking property, for men forget the death of a father more quickly than the loss of their patrimony.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Author	Date	Quotation
Treaty of Versailles	1919	Up to the moment of the completion of the evacuation they shall refrain from any form of requisitioning in money or in kind and from all acts likely to prejudice the material interests of the country. (reference)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Title	Author	Quote
Les Miserables	Hugo, Victor	Nevertheless he seemed to refrain obstinately from asking his way.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		Refrain from criticizing the child's speech or reacting negatively to the child's disfluencies. (references)
Business		Though the government would like to refrain from price increases and instead emphasize other attributes of the Gencos, in the end the government may very well have to resort to electricity tariff increases, a move that could be politically costly. (references)
		In recent years, Japan has been raising its prices on equipment, and there is not as much tied aid money available due to Japan's domestic financial concerns and international pressure on the country to refrain from tied aid. When tied aid is not a factor, China is much less apt to import from Japan. (references)
Children	Kuwait	The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities and imposes penalties against employers who refrain from hiring persons with disabilities without reasonable cause. (references)
Civil Liberties	United Arab Emirates	Most persons, especially foreign nationals out of fear of deportation, refrain from criticizing the Government in public. (references)
	Somalia	Christian-based international relief organizations generally operate without interference, as long as they refrain from proselytizing. (references)
Economic History	Namibia	The Court also advised UN member states to refrain from implying legal recognition or assistance to the South African presence. (references)
	Austria	The consent of the cartel court must be obtained, requiring that the applicant refrain from market behavior that would limit or impede competition. (references)
	Korea	The Korean government is publicly committed to refrain from interfering in bank lending and management decisions, except with regard to prudential supervision. (references)
Human Rights	Israel and the occupied territories	The Israeli Government stated that it has ordered soldiers to refrain from interfering with the provision of medical services, and to allow ambulances and medical personnel to pass through checkpoints, and has provided this information to soldiers. (references)
	Kazakhstan	Detainees also may appeal the legality of detention or arrest to the Prosecutor before trial; however, in practice most persons refrain from making an appeal due to fear of reprisal for doing so. The Constitution prohibits forced exile, and the Government does not use it. (references)
Political Economy	VENEZUELA	Employers may not stipulate as a condition of employment that new workers refrain from union activity. (references)
Travel	Bolivia	Recent arrivals are advised to limit their activities and refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages until they acclimate, which can take from hours to days. (references)
	Netherlands	In general, European business executives are more conservative than their American counterparts; therefore, it is best to refrain from using their first names until a firm relationship has been formed. (references)
	Ukraine	Visitors should conduct themselves as they would in any major U.S. city - always be aware of your surroundings, travel in pairs or groups, avoid poorly--lit or isolated areas of the city, and refrain from hailing rides from cars with two or more people already inside. (references)
Women	Antigua and Barbuda	Police generally refrain from intervening in cases of domestic violence, and some women have charged credibly that the courts are lenient in such cases. (references)
Worker Rights	Marshall Islands	On Sunday most businesses are closed, and persons generally refrain from working. (references)
	Mozambique	The Constitution provides that all workers are free to join or refrain from joining a trade union, and workers enjoy these rights in practice. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Speaker	Term	Phrase(s)
Andrew Jackson	1829-1837	I can not refrain from expressing the pleasure I feel at the near approach of that desirable event.
John F. Kennedy	1961-1963	Therefore, we must display, reason, and refrain from such steps.
George Bush	1989-1993	A responsibility to hold their families together and refrain from having children out of wedlock.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

"Refrain" is generally used as a lexical verb (infinitive) -- approximately 65.17% of the time. "Refrain" is used about 333 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Lexical Verb (infinitive)	65.17%	217	20,530
Noun (singular)	28.83%	96	33,456
Lexical Verb (base form)	6.01%	20	78,262
Total	100.00%	333	N/A

Expressions using "refrain": refrain from ♦ refrain from doing ♦ refrain from smoking! ♦ refrain from voting ♦ refrain one's tears ♦ refrain oneself ♦ refrain please! ♦ refrain smb.'s memory. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "refrain": refrain-like.
	Ending with "refrain": verse-and-refrain.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Language		Translations for "refrain"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Albanian		refren (chorus, undersong), shmangem (circumvent, deflect, depart, deviate, diverge, dodge, duck, escape, eschew, fence, fend off, fight shy of, forbear, funk, give a wide berth, glance, jink, jump, keep one's distance, leapfrog, Miss, Parry, shirk, shun, sidestep, steer clear of, tergiversate, wander), përmbahem (abstain, cleave, help, hew, restrain oneself), mbaj (attach, Bate, bear, breed, carry, deduct, enshrine, force upon, get off, give, have, have smth. on, hold, keep, keep on, maintain, man, perform, pitch, preserve, respect, retain, save, support, sustain, wear, withhold). (various references)

Arabic		‏كف عن (abstain from, cease, desist, forbear, leave off), ‏قرار (award, burden, chorus, decision, decree, deliverance, doom, judgement, resolution, resolve, ruling, sentence), ‏غناء رتيب (burden), ‏حجم (bulk, dimension, extent, flinch, format, funk, gage, girth, magnitude, measure, measurement, proportion, size, volume), ‏اللازمة (corollary), ‏إمتنع (abstain, abstain from), ‏أمسك (bite, catch, cradle, get hold of, grasp, grip, gripe, hold, lay hold of, withhold), ‏ردة (appositeness), ‏شعر ركيك, ‏دور (age, circle, cycle, floor, function, part, place, role, round, say, storey, turn). (various references)

Bulgarian		рефрен (wheel), въздържам (hold in, keep back, keep in, restrain, withhold), припев (burden, chorus, undersong). (various references)

Chinese		� 句. (various references)

Czech		refrén (chorus, oer word, tag), zdržet se (abstain, forbear, hold in, stay). (various references)

Danish		at afstaa fra enhver brug af vaebnet magt (to refrain from any use of armed forces), afholde sig fra enhver anden handling,der indebaerer militaer eller politisk,oekonomisk eller anden tvang (economic or other coercion, or of political, to refrain from any other act of military), afholde sig fra enhver form for vaebnet intervention eller trussel om en saadan intervention (to refrain from any form of armed intervention or threat of such intervention), afholde sig fra enhver handling,som indebaerer en trussel om magtanvendelse eller direkte eller indirekte brug af magt mod en anden deltagende stat (to refrain from any acts constituting a threat of force or direct or indirect use of force against another participating State), afstaa fra at goere hverandres territorier til genstand for militaer besaettelse (to refrain from making each other's territory the object of military occupation), afstaa fra enhver handling,som er uforenelig med formaalene og principperne i De forenede Nationers pagt (to refrain from any action inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations), afstaa fra enhver oekonomisk tvangshandling (to refrain from any act of economic coercion), afholde sig fra direkte eller indirekte bistand til terrorvirksomhed eller til undergravende eller anden virksomhed,som tilsigter voldelig omstyrtning af en anden deltagende stats styre (or to subversive or other activities directed towards the violent overthrow of the regime of another participating State, to refrain from direct or indirect assistance to terrorist activities), afstaa fra invasion af eller angreb mod dens territorium (to refrain from invasion of or attack on a territory), undladelsespligt (obligation to refrain from), at afstaa fra propaganda for angrebskrige (to refrain from propaganda for wars of agression), de afholder sig fra enhver handling,som er uforenelig med den overstatslige karakter af deres hverv (they shall refrain from any action incompatible with the supranational character of their duties), de afholder sig fra enhver handling,som er uforenelig med karakteren af deres hverv (they shall refrain from any action incompatible with their duties), de deltagende stater vil derfor,nu og i fremtiden,afstaa fra at oeve anslag mod disse graenser (the participating States will therefore refrain now and in the future from assaulting these frontiers), i deres indbyrdes forhold,saavel som i deres internationale forbindelser i almindelighed,afholde sig fra trussel om magtanvendelse eller brug af magt (as well as in international relations in general, from the threat or use of force, to refrain in mutual relations), Medlemsstaterne afstaar fra at indfoere ny indbyrdes told (Member States shall refrain from introducing any new customs duties), afstaa fra enhver repressaliehandling,der indebaerer magtanvendelse (to refrain from any act of reprisal by force). (various references)

Dutch		zich onthouden van iedere daad die onverenigbaar is met de doeleinden en de beginselen van het Handvest der Verenigde Naties (to refrain from any action inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations), de Lid-Staten onthouden zich ervan onderling nieuwe rechten in te voeren (Member States shall refrain from introducing any new customs duties), onthoudingsverplichting (obligation to refrain from), zich ervan onthouden om elkanders grondgebied tot voorwerp te maken van een militaire bezetting (to refrain from making each other's territory the object of military occupation), zich in onderlinge betrekkingen alsmede in internationale betrekkingen in het algemeen, onthouden van dreiging met, of gebruik van, geweld (as well as in international relations in general, from the threat or use of force, to refrain in mutual relations), zich onthouden van directe of indirecte hulpverlening aan terroristische activiteiten of aan subversieve of andere activiteiten die erop zijn gericht het bewind van een andere deelnemende Staat met geweld omver te werpen (or to subversive or other activities directed towards the violent overthrow of the regime of another participating State, to refrain from direct or indirect assistance to terrorist activities), zich onthouden van een invasie in of aanval op een grondgebied (to refrain from invasion of or attack on a territory), de deelnemende Staten zullen zich derhalve, thans en in de toekomst, ervan onthouden deze grenzen aan te vallen (the participating States will therefore refrain now and in the future from assaulting these frontiers), zich onthouden van iedere andere daad van militaire of politieke, economische of andere dwang (economic or other coercion, or of political, to refrain from any other act of military), zij onthouden zich van iedere handeling welke onverenigbaar is met het karakter van hun ambt (they shall refrain from any action incompatible with their duties), zich onthouden van iedere daad van economische dwang (to refrain from any act of economic coercion), zich onthouden van iedere daad van vergelding door geweld (to refrain from any act of reprisal by force), zich onthouden van iedere handeling die een dreiging met geweld of een direct of indirect gebruik van geweld tegen een andere deelnemende Staat inhoudt (to refrain from any acts constituting a threat of force or direct or indirect use of force against another participating State), zich onthouden van iedere vorm van gewapende inmenging of van dreiging met dergelijke inmenging (to refrain from any form of armed intervention or threat of such intervention), zich onthouden van propaganda voor aanvalsoorlogen (to refrain from propaganda for wars of agression), zij onthouden zich van iedere handeling welke onverenigbaar is met het bovennationale karakter van hun ambt (they shall refrain from any action incompatible with the supranational character of their duties), zich onthouden van ieder gebruik van strijdkrachten (to refrain from any use of armed forces). (various references)

Farsi		منع کردن (Inhibit, Nix, Prohibit, Withhold), نگاه داشتن (Commemorate, Guard, Hold, Keep, Retain, Save, Stay, Stop, Tackle), خودداری کردن (Contain, Withhold), برگردان (Lapel, Revers, Turnover). (various references)

Finnish		kieltäytyä (abstain, decline, give up, refuse, refuse a person something), kertosäe (chorus). (various references)

French		refrain. (various references)

German		refrain (burden, chorus), absehen von. (various references)

Greek		απέχω (abstain, be distant, desist, eschew, forbear, forgo, hold off, stand off, to be off work). (various references)

Hebrew		ל�"מ� ע (abstain, avoid, eschew, shun, steer clear of), ל�"תאפק (abstain, control oneself, hold in), ל�"רתע (back away, blench, boggle, cringe, draw back, flinch, recoil, retract, retreat, withdraw), פזמון חוזר (chorus), חזורת. (various references)

Hungarian		refrén (burden, cantilena, chorus, dildo, fading, tag). (various references)

Indonesian		menahan diri. (various references)

Italian		ritornello (chorus). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		リ�"ア山猫 (liberation, libido, Libyan wildcat, lift, liftback, living, living kitchen, living room, living room set, living stock, makeover, rebate, reboot, reference, reference guide, referencer, refinance, refine, reflation, reflect, reflection, reflective, reform instructor, reform plan, refresh, refreshment, repeat, repeater, replace, replicate, replication, reply, repression, reprint, reproduction, revision, rib, rib roast, rift, ripple, rivet, updating), 折り�"し (chorus, cuffs, flap, lapel, repetition). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		おりかえし (chorus, cuffs, flap, lapel, repetition), リフレーン , リフレイン . (various references)

Korean		후� �. (various references)

Manx		staayney (brazen, cessation, deny, forbear, forbearance, harden, oppose, self-denial, set against, stiffen), freayll veih, cummal veih (restrain, withhold). (various references)

Pig Latin		efrainray

Portuguese		reprimir (allay, arrest, bit, bridle, check, coerce, constrain, control, Cork, dove, forbear, gulp, halt, keep back, keep down, overbear, quell, quench, rein in, repress, restrain, stifle, stop, subdue, suppress, throttle, tutor, vanquish), refrear (bit, bottle, bridle, coerce, curb, repress, restrain, rule, tutor), refrão (burden, chorus, undersong), privar-se de (abstain, spare), evitar (abstain, avert, avoid, bypass, elude, eschew, evade, fence, flee, foil, forbear, funky, give a cold shoulder to, keep off, Parry, preclude, prevent, shirk, shun, stave off, to avoid, turn a cold shoulder to), estribilho (Bob, chorus, faldstool, undersong), deter (abstract, arrest, buttonhole, dam up, detain, deter, hold back, intercept, resist, restrain, retain, stop, suspend), conter (bottle, carry, comprise, contain, encompass, encore, hold, hold down, imply, include, restrain, rule, squelch, withhold), abster-se de (abstain, forbear, forgo, refrain from, scorn). (various references)

Romanian		refren (burden, chorus), reţine (arrest, bespeak, book, catch, confine, delay, detain, dock, engage, fix, ground, hinder, hold, hold in, impede, keep, keep back, keep in, laten, learn, memorize, nota bene, remember, reserve, restrain, retain, secure, stop, take by the button, trammel, withhold), stãvili (arrest, bar, barricade, block, dam up, delay, dike, embank, hinder, quench, restrain, retain, retard, shut, slacken, slug, stem), abţine (abstain, refuse, subdue), înfrâna (bridle, curb, restrain, tame, vanquish). (various references)

Russian		удерживаться, сдерживаться (control oneself, hold back, hold in), рефрен (burden, chorus, tag), воздерживаться (abstain, desist, forbear, forebear, keep), припев (burden, chorus, tag, undersong). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		refren (burden, tag), uzdržati se (abstain, contain, forego, hold back, restrain oneself), pripev (burden, chorus, overturn, undersong). (various references)

Spanish		estribillo (burden, chorus, pet word). (various references)

Swedish		refräng (burden, chorus), avstå (abstain, cede, desist, give up, relinquish, resign). (various references)

Turkish		sakınmak (abstain, avoid, be careful not to, be cautious, be wary of, be wary of doing smth., beg, beware, cradle, eschew, evade, flee from, flinch, forbear, hang back, keep clear of, shuffle, shun, shy, steer clear of, Stow), nakarat (burden, chorus, leitmotif, leitmotiv, repeat), kendini tutmak (contain oneself, forbear, get hold of oneself, hold back, hold in, keep calm, keep from, possess oneself, restrain oneself), kaçınmak (abstain, avoid, balk, baulk, beg, beware, chicken out, dodge, elude, eschew, evade, flee, flee from, flinch, forbear, funk, get out of, keep clear of, refuse, shirk, short circuit, shun, sidestep, spare, stand aloof, stand apart, stand aside, steer clear of, Stow). (various references)

Ukranian		стримуватися (abstain, contain, control oneself, hold in, keep one's temper, pull up), рефрен (chorus), приборкувати (chasten, check, curb, halter, harness, mortify). (various references)

Vietnamese		đoạn điệp. (various references)

Welsh		ymatal (abstain, forbear), peidio (cease, desist, stop), cytgan (chorus), byrdwn (burden, chorus). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Language	Period	Translations
Latin	500 BCE-Modern	cantilenis, hymeneus. (various references)
Late Latin	300-700	refrenere. (various references)
Medieval Latin	700-1500	discantus. (various references)
Old French	900-1400	refraigner. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Language	Date	Source	Proverbs Chapter 1, Verse 15
Greek (transliterated)	250 BC	Septuagint	Mh poreuqhV en odw met' autwn ekklinon de ton poda sou ek twn tribwn autwn
Latin	405	Vulgate	Fili mi ne ambules cum eis prohibe pedem tuum a semitis eorum
Middle English	1395	Wyclif	Mi sone, ne go thou with hem; forfende thi foot fro the sties of hem.
Jacobean English	1611	King James	My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
Victorian English	1833	Webster	My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
Basic English	1964	Ogden	My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language	Proverbs Chapter 1, Verse 15
Bulgarian	Сине мой, не ходи на пътя с тях, �'ъздържай ногата си от пътеката им,
Cebuano	Anak ko, ayaw paglakat sa dalan uban kanila; Ilikay ang imong tiil gikan sa ilang alagianan:
Chinese	我 �' 、不要與他們同行一 �" ．禁止 � 腳走他們的路．
Croatian	Sine moj, ne idi s njima na put, makni nogu od njihove staze.
Danish	- min Søn, gå da ikke med dem, hold din Fod fra deres Sti;
Dutch	Mijn zoon! wandel niet met hen op den weg; weer uw voet van hun pad.
Finnish	älä lähde, poikani, samalle tielle kuin he, pidätä jalkasi heidän poluiltansa.
French	Mon fils, ne te mets pas en chemin avec eux, Détourne ton pied de leur sentier;
German	mein Kind, wandle den Weg nicht mit ihnen; wehre deinem Fuß vor ihrem Pfad.
Haitian Creole	Pitit mwen, pa mache avèk moun konsa! Pa mete pye ou kote moun sa yo pase!
Hungarian	Fiam, ne járj egy úton ezekkel, tartóztasd meg lábaidat ösvényüktõl;
Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari	Janganlah ikut dengan orang-orang yang demikian, anakku! Jauhilah mereka.
Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama	Hai anakku! janganlah engkau pergi serta mereka itu pada jalan itu dan jauhkanlah kakimu dari pada lorong-lorongnya.
Italian	figlio mio, non andare per la loro strada, tieni lontano il piede dai loro sentieri!
Korean	너 �" 우 리 와 함 께 � � 비 를 뽑 � 우 리 가 함 께 � � 대 하 나 만 두 자 � 지 라 도
Maori	E taku tama, kaua e haere tahi i te ara me ratou; kaiponuhia tou waewae i to ratou huarahi;
Modern Greek	υιε μου, μη περιπατησης εν οδω μετ' αυτων· απεχε τον ποδα σου απο των τριβων αυτων·
Norwegian	slå da ikke følge med dem, min sønn, hold din fot borte fra deres sti!
Portuguese	filho meu, não andes no caminho com eles; guarda da sua vereda o teu pé,
Rumanian	fiule, sq nu pornewti la drum cu ei, abate-yi piciorul de pe cqrarea lor!
Russian	УЩО НПК! ОЕ ИП�"Й Ч � ХФШ У ОЙНЙ, Х�"ЕТЦЙ ОПЗХ ФЧПА ПФ УФЕЪЙ ЙИ,
Spanish	Hijo mío, no andes en el camino de ellos; aparta tu pie de sus senderos,
Swedish	då, min son, må du ej vandra samma väg som de. Nej, håll din fot ifrån deras stig,
Thai	บุตรชายของเราเอ๋ย อย่าเ�"ินในทางนั้นกับเขา จงยับยั้งเท้าของเจ้าจากวิถีของเขา
Ukrainian	сину мій, не ходи ти дорогою з ними, спини ногу свою від їхньої стежки,
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "refrain": refrained, refraining, refrainment, refrainments, refrains. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Refrain" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: efrain, lehrain, Raffarin, Redfarn, refan, refraind, refrane, refrein, refrig, rerfain, resfrain, resrain. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "refrain" (pronounced rufrā"n)
3	-r ā" n	brain, constrain, crane, drain, grain, ingrain, overtrain, rain, reign, rein, restrain, retrain, sprain, strain, train.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-e-f-i-n-r-r"
	-1 letter: fainer, fairer, infare.
	-2 letters: afire, airer, farer, feria, finer, firer, frena, friar, frier, infer, infra, reran, rifer.
	-3 letters: airn, earn, fain, fair, fane, fare, fear, fern, fiar, fine, fire, firn, frae, naif, near, neif, rain, rani, rare, rear, reif, rein, rife.
	-4 letters: ain, air, ane, ani, are, arf, ear, era, ern, err, fan, far, fen, fer, fie, fin, fir, ire, nae, ran, ref, rei, ria, rif, rin.
	-5 letters: ae, ai, an, ar, ef, en, er, fa, if, in, na, ne, re.
	Words containing the letters "a-e-f-i-n-r-r"
	+1 letter: infrared, refrains, unfairer.
	+2 letters: firebrand, forebrain, infrareds, rarefying, refrained, reframing.
	+3 letters: antireform, firebrands, forbearing, forearming, forebrains, foreordain, franchiser, fraternity, fraternize, freemartin, fundraiser, intergraft, rainforest, redrafting, refracting, refraction, refraining, regrafting, wharfinger.
	+4 letters: ferrimagnet, fingerboard, foraminifer, foreordains, forewarning, forswearing, fragrancies, franchisers, fraternized, fraternizer, fraternizes, freemartins, fundraisers, hereinafter, infirmaries, intergrafts, overfearing, perforating, perforation, prefranking, rainforests, rarefaction, reaffirming, referential, reformation, refractions, refrainment, refrangible, refrigerant, resurfacing, transferrin, transfigure, wharfingers.
	+5 letters: featherbrain, ferricyanide, ferrimagnets, ferrocyanide, fingerboards, foraminifera, foraminifers, foreordained, forereaching, foreswearing, forgathering, fraternalism, fraternities, fraternizers, fraternizing, frontiersman, grandiflorae, handicrafter, intergrafted, neurofibroma, overfavoring, perforations, preferential, preformation, proofreading, quarterfinal, rarefactions, reflationary, reformations, reformatting, refrainments, refrigerants, terraforming, thereinafter, transferring, transferrins, transfigured, transfigures, ultrarefined.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)

52 65 66 72 61 69 6E

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)

American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)

⁼

Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)

Braille (1829, in France) (references)

Morse Code (1836) (references)

.-. . ..-. .-. .- .. -.

Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)

Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)

01010010 01100101 01100110 01110010 01100001 01101001 01101110

HTML Code (1990) (references)

&#82 &#101 &#102 &#114 &#97 &#105 &#110

ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)

0052 0065 0066 0072 0061 0069 006E

British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)

Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)

Expression	Frequency per Day
musical refrain	22
poem refrain	17
refrain	16
blue refrain	6
beatles refrain	5
poetry refrain	2
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Refrain

Definitions: Refrain

Refrain

Noun

Verb

Synonyms: Refrain

Specialty Definition: Refrain

Synonyms within Context: Refrain

Absence of Choice

Avoidance

Dejection

Inaction

Repetition

Temperance

Crosswords: Refrain

Modern Usage: Refrain

Screenplays

Lyrics

Movie/TV Titles

Commercial Usage: Refrain

Books

Music

Familiar Quotations: Refrain

Caspar David Friedrich

Horace

John Calvin

Niccolo Machiavelli

Historic Usage: Refrain

Treaty of Versailles

Use in Literature: Refrain

Les Miserables

Hugo, Victor

Non-Fiction Usage: Refrain

Speeches: Refrain

Andrew Jackson

John F. Kennedy

George Bush

Usage Frequency: Refrain

Expression: Refrain

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Refrain

musical refrain

poem refrain

refrain

blue refrain

beatles refrain

poetry refrain

Modern Translations: Refrain

Albanian

Arabic

Bulgarian

Chinese

Czech

Danish

Dutch

Farsi

Finnish

French

German

Greek

Hebrew

Hungarian

Indonesian

Italian

Japanese Kanji

Japanese Katakana

Korean

Manx

Pig Latin

Portuguese

Romanian

Russian

Serbo-Croatian

Spanish

Swedish

Turkish

Ukranian

Vietnamese

Welsh

Ancestral Language Translations: Refrain

Bible Trace: Refrain