restraining order

Noun

restraining order (plural restraining orders)

1. An order issued by a court of law or other legal authority for a specified timeframe forbidding the restrained party from contacting and being in close proximity to the protected party and other restrictions, usually banning the possession of arms.
   • Prescription drugs, they help me through the day / And that restraining order keeps me well at bay / And what's normal now, anyway?2007, Steven Wilson, "Normal", Porcupine Tree, Nil Recurring.
2. An order by a judge or other legal authority that prevents an action by a government or institution.
   • On February 13, 1974, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued a temporary restraining order against the council to prevent it from enforcing a January 28, 1974, temporary rollback order for Nassau County police salaries. On February 16, 1974, the court issued another...1974, Economic Stabilization Program Quarterly Report Covering the Period January 1, 1974 Through May 1, 1974, U.S. Cost of Living Council, page 87
   • Kunsman reports that he was placed in a segregation cell when he subsequently filed an Administrative Remedy Form with warden R. A. Gunnell and that he has been scheduled for a disciplinary transfer. Requests have been made to the U.S. District Court for a restraining order to have Kunsman released...1981 August 22, “Unwelcome Advances”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 6, page 2