Definitions

1. verb

to seize or take possession of property by legal right, especially as a means of enforcing a debt or judgment.

“The landlord may distrain the property of the tenant to recover the unpaid rent.”

2. noun

the act of seizing or taking possession of property by legal right, especially as a means of enforcing a debt or judgment.

“The distrain on the property was a last resort for the creditor.”