ˈstrāt ə n verb
( straitened ; straitened ; straitening -t( ə )niŋ ; straitens )
Etymology: strait (I) + -en
transitive verb
1.
a. : to make strait or narrow
straitened the bed of the river with high embankments
b. : to hem in or confine usually in a narrow space
the arable land was straitened between the mountains and the sea
2.
a. archaic : to restrict (a person) usually in respect to freedom or rights
b. : to make narrow in respect to scope, range, or similar property
the decision of the court straitened the range of his authority
such experiences … straiten the mind — Osbert Sitwell
3.
a. : to afflict physically or mentally : subject to distress, want, or anguish
a man straitened by misfortune
b. : to afflict or distress by reason of some deficiency — usually used with for or in
I am rather straitened in time — William Cowper
c. : to cause to suffer or ebb by reason of insufficient funds : reduce (as oneself) to poverty
straitening himself to keep up appearances
old people living in straitened circumstances
4. obsolete
a. : to make tense or tight : tighten
b. : to make more severe : increase the rigor of
intransitive verb
: to become narrow : narrow