- (v.t.) To subject to distress; to coerce; as, to distrain a person by his goods and chattels.
- (v.t.) To seize, as a pledge or indemnification; to take possession of as security for nonpayment of rent, the reparation of an injury done, etc.; to take by distress; as, to distrain goods for rent or of an amercement.
- (v.t.) To press heavily upon; to bear down upon with violence; hence, to constrain or compel; to bind; to distress, torment or afflict.
- (v.i.) To levy a distress.
- (v.t.) To rend; to tear.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). distrain. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/distrain/definitions/1999412 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "distrain" http://smartdefine.org/distrain/definitions/1999412 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, distrain, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/distrain/definitions/1999412>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "distrain" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/distrain/definitions/1999412> |