What does distrain mean?
Distrain means (obsolete) To squeeze, press, embrace; to constrain, oppress..
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/dɪˈstɹeɪn/ · verb
(obsolete) To squeeze, press, embrace; to constrain, oppress..
Thus spake the Prince, and gently 'gan distrain / Now him, now her, between his friendly arms.
But when he heard her answeres loth, he knew / Some secret sorrow did her heart distraine […]
to distrain a person by his goods and chattels
For that same net so cunningly was wound, / That neither guile, nor force might it distraine.
Use distrain when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Distrain means (obsolete) To squeeze, press, embrace; to constrain, oppress..
Common synonyms include distress.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
Thus spake the Prince, and gently 'gan distrain / Now him, now her, between his friendly arms.
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