hamstring

1 of 2

noun

ham·​string ˈham-ˌstriŋ How to pronounce hamstring (audio)
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

hamstring

2 of 2

verb

hamstrung ˈham-ˌstrəŋ How to pronounce hamstring (audio) ; hamstringing ˈham-ˌstriŋ-iŋ How to pronounce hamstring (audio) ; hamstrings

transitive verb

1
: to make ineffective or powerless : disable
hamstrung by guilt
2
: to deprive of the use of a leg by cutting the leg tendons

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
That welterweight fight, which was to take place on the preliminary card of the Holloway vs. Poirier 3 headlined event, is off after Nelson suffered a hamstring injury that will leave him unable to compete on July 19 from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025 He, too, got injured, sustaining a left hamstring injury that will sideline him until the second half. Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 July 2025
Verb
And if the two bills end up combined, rather than the House rubber-stamping its own version of the Senate’s Genius Act, the crypto industry’s $100 million shot at enacting legislation could be seriously hamstrung. Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 June 2025 The Federal Reserve may be hamstrung if inflation surges, unable to lower its key interest rates that tend to lift the economy and markets. Matt Egan, CNN Money, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for hamstring

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hamstring was in 1565

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hamstring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hamstring. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

hamstring

1 of 2 noun
ham·​string ˈham-ˌstriŋ How to pronounce hamstring (audio)
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 How to pronounce hamstring (audio)
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
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 How to pronounce hamstring (audio) ; hamstringing -ˌstriŋ-iŋ How to pronounce hamstring (audio)
: to cripple by cutting the leg tendons
folklore has it that wolf packs try to hamstring their preyJohn Madson

More from Merriam-Webster on hamstring

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