To save this word, you'll need to log in.
ham·string | \ ˈham-ˌstriŋ 
\
\Definition of hamstring
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : 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
hamstring
verbhamstrung\ ˈham-ˌstrəŋ \; hamstringing\ ˈham-ˌstriŋ-iŋ \
\; hamstringing\ ˈham-ˌstriŋ-iŋ \Definition of hamstring (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to make ineffective or powerless : cripple hamstrung by guilt
2 : to cripple by cutting the leg tendons
Keep scrolling for more
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: Noun The absence of captain Jordan Henderson, who sustained a hamstring injury against Atletico, has been significant, while the defense looked ragged against Watford with Dejan Lovren filling in at center back for Joe Gomez.
—
Bloomberg.com, "Invincible No More: Liverpool Loses for 1st Time in EPL," 29 Apr. 2020 Bernard didn’t test overly well at the scouting combine, but a reported hamstring injury could have been the reason for his subpar performance.
—
John Owning, Dallas News, "Film room: 3 UDFAs who have the best shot to make the Cowboys’ roster, including Dallas’ most intriguing signing," 29 Apr. 2020 In 2013, Dahl's second minor-league season amounted to 10 games because of a torn hamstring.
—
Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "David Dahl aiming to stay on field in 2020 MLB season," 6 Mar. 2020 John Henson, Antetokounmpo’s former teammate, didn’t make the trip because of a strained right hamstring that will sideline him for possibly a month.
—
Chris Fedor, cleveland, "Tristan Thompson’s goal is to make first team All-Defense -- and he’s off to a strong start," 29 Oct. 2019 Moncada did miss time in August because of a strained right hamstring.
—
Lamond Pope, chicagotribune.com, "Yoan Moncada is one of baseball’s hottest hitters as he finishes his promising season for the White Sox," 18 Sep. 2019 Centrowitz isn’t in peak form after getting a late start to the season because of hamstring and shin issues.
—
oregonlive.com, "Smooth, confident, in control, Olympic champ Matthew Centrowitz rocks the Stumptown Twilight," 19 July 2019 Tzu-Wei Lin came out of the game after the first inning with a tight left hamstring.
—
Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, "Martin Perez says he’s not concerned about results after lasting two-thirds of an inning," 3 Mar. 2020 Sam Travis, also out with a hamstring, will play on March 1.
—
Sam Blum, Dallas News, "Sherten Apostel’s defense raises eyebrows; Rangers taking precautions as coronavirus spreads," 29 Feb. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Biden, who is far behind Trump in fund-raising and hamstrung by social distancing rules, is preparing to begin his vetting process in the coming days, according to a person familiar with the plans.
—
Jennifer Epstein, Bloomberg.com, "Biden Tackles Running Mate Decision Under Shadow of Virus Fight," 10 May 2020 Facilities are doing their best, industry leaders told me, but their efforts have been hamstrung by shortages of funding, testing, and, above all, personal protective equipment.
—
Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, "A Senior Home’s ‘Drastic Step’ to Enforce Social Distancing," 21 Apr. 2020 The Legislature and City Council are particularly hamstrung because, unlike the federal government, they’re constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget.
—
Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Garcia: Looming budget crisis becomes dominant issue in Texas Senate runoff," 10 Apr. 2020 Convention planning is also hamstrung by the fact that as long as Senator Bernie Sanders remains in the race, Democrats do not yet have a de facto presidential nominee.
—
Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, "Democratic Convention Planners Look at Contingency Options," 23 Mar. 2020 That ruling gave Congress free reign two decades later to rebuild Southern state governments after the Civil War, though the high court later hamstrung Reconstruction’s potential in other ways.
—
Matt Ford, The New Republic, "The Supreme Court Eyes an Escape Hatch From Trump’s Corruption," 28 Apr. 2020 Worker shortages for farms, plants and logistics could hamstring the food industry’s efforts to deal with the crisis, executives said.
—
Jesse Newman, WSJ, "Coronavirus-Era Food Supply: America Has a Lot. Moving It Is Tricky.," 19 Mar. 2020 Cuomo also criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying the agency is slowing everything down and hamstringing states like New York.
—
William Mansell
And, ABC News, "Coronavirus live updates: US death toll rises to 19, New York declares state of emergency," 7 Mar. 2020 But any nation still requires government, and with Congress hamstrung most of the time power flows to the executive and the courts.
—
Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, "American democracy is dying," 7 Feb. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for hamstring
hamstring
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of hamstring
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a tendon at the back of a person's knee
: a muscle at the back of a person's upper leg
hamstring
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of hamstring (Entry 2 of 2)
: to damage or ruin the force or effectiveness of (something or someone)
See the full definition for hamstring in the English Language Learners Dictionary
hamstring
nounham·string | \ ˈham-ˌstriŋ \
\Medical Definition of hamstring
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : 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
hamstring
transitive verbhamstrung\ -ˌstrəŋ \; hamstringing\ -ˌstriŋ-iŋ \
\; hamstringing\ -ˌstriŋ-iŋ \Medical Definition of hamstring (Entry 2 of 2)
: to cripple by cutting the leg tendons
folklore has it that wolf packs try to hamstring their prey— John Madson
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on hamstring
What made you want to look up hamstring? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
May 2020 Words of the Day Quiz
- Which is a synonym of exiguous?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share hamstring
Time Traveler for hamstring
The first known use of hamstring was in 1565
See more words from the same year