straiten

• Verbe désuet signifiant rétrécir, limiter ou contraindre ; souvent utilisé dans un contexte historique ou littéraire pour indiquer une restriction ou une difficulté.

An archaic verb meaning to make narrow, restrict, or confine; often used in historical or literary contexts to indicate limitation or distress.

1. Cause financial hardshipC2formalbritish

   To bring someone into a difficult or distressing situation, especially financial difficulty.

   Mettre dans la gêne financière

   • The economic crisis straitened many families.
   • His gambling habits straitened his finances severely.
   • The loss of her job straitened her circumstances.

   Synonymesbeggarreduceruin

2. Squeeze or constrictC2formalbritish

   To make something narrower or tighter; to compress or restrict.

   Resserrer, comprimer

   • The corset straitened her waist.
   • The narrow passage straitened the flow of people.
   • The rope straitened his arms, making movement difficult.

   Synonymescompressconstrictcrampnarrowpinchrestrictsqueezetighten

   Antonymesexpandfreelooseloosenwiden