ham·string
ˈham-ˌstriŋ 
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
hamstrung
ˈham-ˌstrəŋ
; hamstringing
ˈham-ˌstriŋ-iŋ
; hamstrings
; hamstringing
ˈham-ˌstriŋ-iŋ
; hamstrings
1
: to make ineffective or powerless : disable
hamstrung by guilt
2
: to deprive of the use of a leg by cutting the leg tendons
Synonyms
Examples of hamstring in a Sentence
Verb
The mayor tried to hamstring our efforts by cutting the budget.
The company claims it is being hamstrung by government regulations.
Recent Examples on the Web
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2023
Despite suffering a hamstring injury early on in the season, Funk recovered and joined his team at the 2022 Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals.
—Ilana Frost, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
Starting linebacker Eric Kendricks (hamstring) also didn’t practice Wednesday.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
That won’t be easy Monday night, even with deep threat DJ Chark (hamstring) expected to make his season debut for Carolina in Week 2.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 18 Sep. 2023
Quarterback Derek Carr put up 305 passing yards in Week 1 and should show better connections with receivers Chris Olave and Michael Thomas against the Panthers (0-1), who will be without their best cornerback, Jaycee Horn (hamstring).
—Emmanuel Morgan, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Cowboys 40, Giants 0: Despite being limited with a hamstring ailment, Darren Waller still led the G-Men in targets (five) and yards (36).
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023
Meanwhile, David Andrews (hamstring), Kayson Boutte (hamstring), Mike Onwenu (ankle), DeVante Parker (knee), and Cole Strange (knee) were all listed as limited … After missing most of training camp, right tackle Calvin Anderson played all 80 offensive snaps in Sunday’s opener against the Eagles.
—Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
Bosa is dealing with a hamstring injury suffered Sunday.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023
The general despondency among young Chinese is already hamstringing the economy.
—Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
Despite a mostly positive reception from those who did see the movie, it was hamstrung to a degree by the inability of its cast to promote the film after the strike began.
—Rodney Ho, ajc, 12 Sep. 2023
But the correspondence reveals that his position, relayed through his staff, changed in the spring, around the time a pair of I.R.S. officials on the case accused the Justice Department of hamstringing the investigation.
—Glenn Thrush, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2023
The theory dates back centuries and is intended to prevent states from trying to hamstring the federal government by arresting its employees.
—John Fritze, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023
Markey says this short-sighted focus on the bottom line, as viewed through the lens of the income statement, to attract investors ends up hamstringing many companies and preventing them from achieving long-term viability and stability.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 18 Aug. 2023
The profession is highly skilled while simultaneously hamstrung by hospital systems for which maternity services turn the heftiest profit.
—Allison Yarrow, ELLE, 24 July 2023
And the local governments in Alabama are also hamstrung by the state’s constitution in preventing them from raising revenues from other sources that might be needed to offset a local sales tax cut on groceries.
—John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 6 June 2023
See More
Noun
The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver, currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, just hoisted his four-acre Oregon home on the market, The Wall Street Journal first reported.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2023
Despite suffering a hamstring injury early on in the season, Funk recovered and joined his team at the 2022 Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals.
—Ilana Frost, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
Starting linebacker Eric Kendricks (hamstring) also didn’t practice Wednesday.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
That won’t be easy Monday night, even with deep threat DJ Chark (hamstring) expected to make his season debut for Carolina in Week 2.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 18 Sep. 2023
Quarterback Derek Carr put up 305 passing yards in Week 1 and should show better connections with receivers Chris Olave and Michael Thomas against the Panthers (0-1), who will be without their best cornerback, Jaycee Horn (hamstring).
—Emmanuel Morgan, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Cowboys 40, Giants 0: Despite being limited with a hamstring ailment, Darren Waller still led the G-Men in targets (five) and yards (36).
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023
Meanwhile, David Andrews (hamstring), Kayson Boutte (hamstring), Mike Onwenu (ankle), DeVante Parker (knee), and Cole Strange (knee) were all listed as limited … After missing most of training camp, right tackle Calvin Anderson played all 80 offensive snaps in Sunday’s opener against the Eagles.
—Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
Bosa is dealing with a hamstring injury suffered Sunday.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Verb
TikTok trash TikTok’s push into e-commerce—an area its Chinese counterpart, Douyin, expanded into years ago—has been hamstrung by a lack of trust in the quality of its new service.
—Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023
The general despondency among young Chinese is already hamstringing the economy.
—Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
Despite a mostly positive reception from those who did see the movie, it was hamstrung to a degree by the inability of its cast to promote the film after the strike began.
—Rodney Ho, ajc, 12 Sep. 2023
But the correspondence reveals that his position, relayed through his staff, changed in the spring, around the time a pair of I.R.S. officials on the case accused the Justice Department of hamstringing the investigation.
—Glenn Thrush, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2023
The theory dates back centuries and is intended to prevent states from trying to hamstring the federal government by arresting its employees.
—John Fritze, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023
Markey says this short-sighted focus on the bottom line, as viewed through the lens of the income statement, to attract investors ends up hamstringing many companies and preventing them from achieving long-term viability and stability.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 18 Aug. 2023
The profession is highly skilled while simultaneously hamstrung by hospital systems for which maternity services turn the heftiest profit.
—Allison Yarrow, ELLE, 24 July 2023
And the local governments in Alabama are also hamstrung by the state’s constitution in preventing them from raising revenues from other sources that might be needed to offset a local sales tax cut on groceries.
—John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 6 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hamstring.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near hamstring
Cite this Entry
“Hamstring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hamstring. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
hamstring
1 of 2 noun
ham·string
ˈham-ˌstriŋ
1
: either of two groups of tendons at the back of the human knee
2
: any of three muscles at the back of the thigh that function to extend the thigh, rotate the leg, and bend the knee
hamstring
2 of 2 verb
hamstrung
-ˌstrəŋ
; hamstringing
-ˌstriŋ-iŋ
1
: to cripple by cutting the leg tendons
2
: to make ineffective or powerless : cripple
hamstrung by restrictions
Medical Definition
hamstring
1 of 2 noun
ham·string
ˈham-ˌstriŋ
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
2
: a large tendon above and behind the hock of a quadruped corresponding to the human Achilles tendon
hamstring
2 of 2 transitive verb
hamstrung
-ˌstrəŋ
; hamstringing
-ˌstriŋ-iŋ
; hamstringing
-ˌstriŋ-iŋ
: to cripple by cutting the leg tendons
folklore has it that wolf packs try to hamstring their prey—John Madson
John Madson
More from Merriam-Webster on hamstring
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share