hamstring

noun ham·string \ ˈham-ˌstriŋ \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of hamstring

1 a : either of two groups of tendons at the back of the human knee

b : any of three muscles at the back of the thigh that function to flex and rotate the leg and extend the thigh

2 : a large tendon above and behind the hock of a quadruped

See hamstring defined for English-language learners

See hamstring defined for kids

Recent Examples of hamstring from the Web

Matthews didn't end up playing that week, due a hamstring injury.

— hunter schwarz, CNN, "How athletes are turning their shoes into political symbols," 14 Apr. 2018
Vicente Iborra was also forced off the field against Newcastle last week with a hamstring problem, with Puel admitting after the game that the influential midfielder could be out for the remainder of the season.

— SI.com, "Burnley vs Leicester City Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battle, Team News, Prediction & More," 13 Apr. 2018
Rose Lavelle continues to rehabilitate a hamstring problem that has caused her trouble since last summer.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "Julie Ertz injury, Christen Press trade drama hit U.S. women's soccer team roster vs. Mexico," 21 Mar. 2018
Garcia had entered the game at halftime after starting center back Philippe Senderos had to leave the game with a right hamstring injury.

— corey roepken, Houston Chronicle, "Dynamo fall to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in rare home loss," 10 Mar. 2018
Henson, the regular starter, missed four of the team's first five games after the trade due to a right hamstring injury.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wizards 107, Bucks 104: Running out of chances," 27 Feb. 2018
Then came two trips to the disabled list because of hamstring problems.

— terry pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Indians: The Jason Kipnis question, outfield issues -- Terry Pluto (video)," 28 Jan. 2018
The ball-playing center back had been widely praised for cutting out his individual errors before his layoff with a hamstring problem, but has been at fault for four of the 10 goals City has conceded in 2018.

— USA TODAY, "Prolific attack masking Man City's flaws at the back," 24 Jan. 2018
Dembele only joined Barça last summer for fee that could rise to €145m, but his debut campaign got off to the worst possible start when a ruptured hamstring ruled him out for four months.

— SI.com, "Atletico Madrid Could Rival Arsenal In Summer Pursuit of Unsettled Barcelona Winger," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hamstring.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of hamstring

1565

hamstring

verb

Definition of hamstring

hamstrung play \ˈham-ˌstrəŋ\; hamstringing play \ˈham-ˌstriŋ-iŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to make ineffective or powerless : cripple

hamstrung by guilt

2 : to cripple by cutting the leg tendons

See hamstring defined for English-language learners

Examples of hamstring in a Sentence

The mayor tried to hamstring our efforts by cutting the budget.
The company claims it is being hamstrung by government regulations.

Recent Examples of hamstring from the Web

The prosecution unit’s defenders argue that it is hamstrung by continuing weakness in U.S. law.

— prue clarke, Washington Post, "‘Jungle Jabbah’ was accused of cannibalism and other horrors in Liberia. How a U.S. court brought him to justice.," 14 Apr. 2018
Approval is up to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, putting the nation’s top law enforcement officer — who recently advocated for capital punishment for drug dealers in some cases — in charge of decisions that could hamstring the defense.

— keri blakinger, San Antonio Express-News, "‘Express lane to death’: Texas seeks approval to speed up death penalty appeals, execute more quickly," 2 Apr. 2018
And any discipline policies that are shown to hamstring educators and law-enforcement officials in their efforts to deal with such conduct—which some researchers contend the 2014 guidance has done in isolated instances—deserve scrutiny.

— alia wong, The Atlantic, "The Push for Harsher School Discipline After Parkland," 23 Mar. 2018
Scientists say the paucity of data also could hamstring efforts to prepare for and mitigate damage from future violent weather events that climatologists predict will happen with increasing frequency.

— OrlandoSentinel.com, "Hurricane Harvey's toxic impact deeper than public told," 22 Mar. 2018
Scientists say the paucity of data also could hamstring efforts to prepare for and mitigate damage from future violent weather events that climatologists predict will happen with increasing frequency.

— CBS News, "Hurricane Harvey's toxic impact deeper than public told," 22 Mar. 2018
The country is afflicted by a 25% unemployment rate and water shortages that have hamstrung large swathes of the west and east.

— Time, "Jacob Zuma Is Gone. Here's What South Africa Has to Do Next," 15 Feb. 2018
Many European countries, meanwhile, are seen as too hamstrung by regulations to be profitable.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "At Uber, a New C.E.O. Shifts Gears," 30 Mar. 2018
Dwyane Wade no longer is hamstrung, with the Miami Heat moving closer to whole.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dwyane Wade pushes past hamstring issue, return imminent," 23 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of hamstring

1641

hamstring Synonyms

Synonyms

cripple, disable, immobilize, incapacitate, paralyze, prostrate;

Near Antonyms

energize, galvanize, invigorate, vitalize;

fortify, strengthen;

empower;

freshen, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, rejuvenate, restore, revitalize, revive;

hobble, lame;

maim, mutilate;

knock out;

HAMSTRING Defined for English Language Learners

hamstring

noun

Definition of hamstring for English Language Learners

: a tendon at the back of a person's knee
: a muscle at the back of a person's upper leg

hamstring

verb

Definition of hamstring for English Language Learners

: to damage or ruin the force or effectiveness of (something or someone)

Medical Dictionary

hamstring

noun ham·string \ ˈham-ˌstriŋ \

medical Definition of hamstring

1 a : either of two groups of tendons bounding the upper part of the popliteal space at the back of the knee and forming the tendons of insertion of some muscles of the back of the thigh

b : hamstring muscle

2 : a large tendon above and behind the hock of a quadruped corresponding to the human Achilles tendon