Restrain Someone From Doing vs. Restrain Someone To Do
When restrain means hold back or prevent an action, the established pattern is restrain + person + from + -ing. “Restrain someone to do” is not the corresponding complement pattern.
Use “restrain someone from doing something” for preventing or holding the person back from the action; avoid “restrain someone to do something” for that meaning.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| prevent or hold a person back from an action | restrain + person + from + -ing | Use “from” before the prevented action. |
| physically or otherwise control a person | restrain + person | The object can stand without an action complement when the context supplies the meaning. |
| use “restrain someone to do” for the prevented-action meaning | not the documented parallel pattern | Do not replace “from + -ing” with a direct infinitive for this meaning. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the action the person is being prevented or held back from doing?
If yes: Use “restrain someone from doing.”
If no: If no prevented action needs to be named, “restrain” can take the person as its object; “restrain someone to do” is not the parallel construction for prevention.
Examples
She restrained him from replying immediately.
“From + -ing” names the action being prevented.
The barrier restrained visitors from entering the work area.
The construction identifies the blocked action.
They had to restrain the dog for a moment.
The object alone works when the controlled person or animal is the focus.
Further guidance
Boundary
Restrain can also take a noun object without an action complement, so not every use needs from + -ing.
Construction
Restrain takes an object and commonly marks the prevented action with from + -ing.
Decision
Choose from + -ing for the action being prevented. A to-infinitive elsewhere in the sentence must have its own grammatical role rather than replacing from + -ing.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- restrain — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Restrain meaning and the pattern for preventing or controlling action