- to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed by from): I refrained from telling him what I thought.
- to curb.
- a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a song or poem, especially at the end of each stanza; chorus.
- Music.
- a musical setting for the refrain of a poem.
- any melody.
- the principal, recurrent section of a rondo.
- an often heard statement, opinion, etc.: Today’s technology haters have a common refrain—robots are bad for society.
- a frequently occurring situation or series of events:The game followed a familiar refrain: a strong first quarter start that eventually fizzles out.
- to abstain (from action); forbear
- a regularly recurring melody, such as the chorus of a song
- a much repeated saying or idea
