bridler
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bri·dle
(brīd′l)n.
1. A harness, consisting of a headstall, bit, and reins, fitted about a horse's head and used to restrain or guide the animal.
2. A curb or check: put a bridle on spending.
3. Nautical A span of chain, wire, or rope that can be secured at both ends to an object and slung from its center point.
v. bri·dled, bri·dling, bri·dles
v.tr.
1. To put a bridle on.
2. To control or restrain: could not bridle his excitement at the news. See Synonyms at restrain.
v.intr.
1. To lift the head and draw in the chin in anger or resentment.
2. To be angry or resentful; take offense: bridling at the criticism.
[Middle English bridel, from Old English brīdel.]
bri′dler n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.