powstrzymywa

Powstrzymywa, viewed as a form on its own, is not a standard dictionary headword in Polish. It most commonly represents an incomplete or stem form related to the verb powstrzymywać, which means to restrain, to hold back, or to prevent. In standard usage, the infinitive is powstrzymywać (imperfective) and the corresponding perfective infinitive is powstrzymać. The imperfective aspect denotes ongoing, habitual, or repeated restraint, while the perfective conveys a completed act of stopping or preventing.

Powstrzymywać belongs to a family of related terms built from the stem trzymać, meaning to hold. The prefix po- intensifies or alters the nuance, yielding meanings such as to hold back, to curb, or to deter. Common noun forms include powstrzymanie (the act of restraining) and powstrzymywanie (the process of restraining). The verb is used with objects in constructions like powstrzymywać kogoś od czegoś (to restrain someone from doing something) or in reflexive forms such as powstrzymywać się od czegoś (to refrain from doing something).

Usage notes: powstrzymywać is widely used in legal, political, social, and everyday contexts to describe preventing actions, halting behavior, or dampening progress. Its antonym is hamować, and its perfective pair powstrzymać often emphasizes a decisive, single act of restraint. Examples include: Prawo ma na celu powstrzymanie przemocy, Władze starają się powstrzymać rozprzestrzenianie się choroby, oraz Powstrzymałem się od komentarza.