handcuff

verb

handcuffed; handcuffing; handcuffs
Synonyms of handcuffnext

transitive verb

1
: to apply handcuffs to : manacle
2
: to hold in check : make ineffective or powerless
handcuffed by strict regulations

Examples of handcuff in a Sentence

wanted to take the trip, but was handcuffed by her responsibility to watch her ailing father the fear that the new mandatory, standardized tests will handcuff the state's teachers, who will have to specifically tailor their lesson plans for the test
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.
Baraka was handcuffed, detained for five hours and formally charged with trespassing. Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026 Kante handcuffed Huffman and put him in the back of the squad car while the officers conducted the rest of the investigation. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026 Xavier Tyson, 15, was arrested last Friday, months after Nelson Nuñez, 13, and Jusiah Jones, 12, were handcuffed. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026 He was handcuffed and placed in the backseat of the police car, police said. S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for handcuff

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of handcuff was in 1649

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Handcuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handcuff. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

handcuff

noun
hand·​cuff
ˈhan(d)-ˌkəf
: a metal fastening locking around a wrist and usually connected by a chain or bar with another such fastening
usually used in plural
handcuff verb

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