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
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
Development interests say making regulations too stringent in the area would further hamstring efforts to fulfill Louisville’s dire housing needs.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 25 Mar. 2024
But a handful of problems tend to routinely hamstring progress.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Luis Rengifo, who had been out with a hamstring issue, played his first game of the spring, striking out and grounding out.
—Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2024
Russell missed the match with a hamstring injury sustained in the second half of last week’s 2-1 win over San Jose.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024
The most frequent roadblock has been hamstring injuries, which robbed Watson of eight games in 2023.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Eric Gordon had 23 points, filling in nicely for starting guard Bradley Beal, who left with a hamstring injury after just five minutes on the floor.
—David Brandt, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
Suns star Bradley Beal, who missed 22 games previously, exited in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 14 Feb. 2024
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Larger home associations like Oak Park, Haines said, are hamstrung because Republic is the only company big enough to service its 2,300 homes at the same time.
—Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
But it’s been hamstrung by a need for cost transparency—and the fact that everyday people are responsible for generating the emissions too.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
But cities are hamstrung by state laws that keep the exact locations of sober living homes secret.
—Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024
Since last week, markets have been hamstrung by the fear that inflation is going to hang around.
—Michael Foster, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
But the scrupulously colorblind casting also hamstrings the show from making many other narrative choices, to the detriment of its own logic and appeal.
—Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
The major east-west corridor remained closed for a second full day and ski resorts were hamstrung to reopen as the effects of a powerful winter storm Sunday continued to plague the Sierra Nevada, and forecasters warned that more heavy snow was on the way for Northern California.
—Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2024
That may signal the industry will be hamstrung by low prices in the future.
—Cameron Baker, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
Noun
Miami was missing Robert Taylor, who strained a hamstring and is expected to miss 10 days.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
Development interests say making regulations too stringent in the area would further hamstring efforts to fulfill Louisville’s dire housing needs.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 25 Mar. 2024
But a handful of problems tend to routinely hamstring progress.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Luis Rengifo, who had been out with a hamstring issue, played his first game of the spring, striking out and grounding out.
—Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2024
Russell missed the match with a hamstring injury sustained in the second half of last week’s 2-1 win over San Jose.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024
The most frequent roadblock has been hamstring injuries, which robbed Watson of eight games in 2023.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Eric Gordon had 23 points, filling in nicely for starting guard Bradley Beal, who left with a hamstring injury after just five minutes on the floor.
—David Brandt, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
Suns star Bradley Beal, who missed 22 games previously, exited in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 14 Feb. 2024
Verb
And while Big Tech companies continue to loom large with forays into the media and entertainment business, many of their streaming platforms are hardly getting off the ground, hamstrung by a lack of access to content.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Larger home associations like Oak Park, Haines said, are hamstrung because Republic is the only company big enough to service its 2,300 homes at the same time.
—Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
But it’s been hamstrung by a need for cost transparency—and the fact that everyday people are responsible for generating the emissions too.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
But cities are hamstrung by state laws that keep the exact locations of sober living homes secret.
—Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024
Since last week, markets have been hamstrung by the fear that inflation is going to hang around.
—Michael Foster, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
But the scrupulously colorblind casting also hamstrings the show from making many other narrative choices, to the detriment of its own logic and appeal.
—Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
The major east-west corridor remained closed for a second full day and ski resorts were hamstrung to reopen as the effects of a powerful winter storm Sunday continued to plague the Sierra Nevada, and forecasters warned that more heavy snow was on the way for Northern California.
—Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2024
That may signal the industry will be hamstrung by low prices in the future.
—Cameron Baker, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
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 16 Apr. 2024.
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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
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