straitjacket

play

noun strait·jack·et \ ˈstrāt-ˌja-kət \

variants: or less commonly straightjacket

Definition of straitjacket

1 :a cover or overgarment of strong material (such as canvas) used to bind the body and especially the arms closely in restraining a violent prisoner or patient

2 :something that restricts or confines like a straitjacket

See straitjacket defined for English-language learners

See straitjacket defined for kids

Recent Examples of straitjacket from the Web

Whether inspired by extreme hikers, skaters, punks, or straitjackets, hanging things have been all over clothes for a few seasons now.

— megan gustashaw, GQ, "This Fall’s Weirdest Trend is Actually Pretty Wearable," 18 Aug. 2017
By Sean Gregory | Photographs by Christaan Felber for TIME Las Vegas is America’s capital city of absurdity, where gambling palaces rise from the desert, illusionists escape from straitjackets and anyone can get rich quick.

— TIME.com, "The Spectacle in Sin City," 18 Aug. 2017
This is still a vivid depiction of the way a home can be either a comforting cocoon or a suffocating straitjacket.

— brendan kiley, The Seattle Times, "Performance picks: ‘Downstairs,’ ‘The Adventures of Rocketman and Beano’ and ‘Fun Home’," 5 July 2017
This is still a vivid depiction of the way a home can be either a comforting cocoon or a suffocating straitjacket.

— brendan kiley, The Seattle Times, "Performance picks: ‘Downstairs,’ ‘The Adventures of Rocketman and Beano’ and ‘Fun Home’," 5 July 2017
This is still a vivid depiction of the way a home can be either a comforting cocoon or a suffocating straitjacket.

— brendan kiley, The Seattle Times, "Performance picks: ‘Downstairs,’ ‘The Adventures of Rocketman and Beano’ and ‘Fun Home’," 5 July 2017
This is still a vivid depiction of the way a home can be either a comforting cocoon or a suffocating straitjacket.

— dusty somers, The Seattle Times, "Review: Strong cast lifts the family pathos in ‘Downstairs’ at ACT," 22 June 2017
My wife went into the dressing room with several items, leaving me in charge of Zack, who was strapped into his stroller like a man in a straitjacket.

— jim sollisch, The Mercury News, "Commentary: My son was lost — then I became a father," 18 June 2017
After the campaign, the reporters presented Gold with a straitjacket as an ironic gift.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Vic Gold, Birmingham reporter, lawyer who advised Bush, Agnew, dead at 88," 10 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'straitjacket.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of straitjacket

1814

straitjacket

verb

variants: or less commonly straightjacket

Definition of straitjacket

transitive verb

:to confine in or as if in a straitjacket

Recent Examples of straitjacket from the Web

Critics over the years have accused Muti of straitjacketing the music in the name of fidelity to the score, but there was no rigidity of pacing or phrasing here.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "In Salzburg, Muti's return to 'Aida' was worth the wait," 22 Aug. 2017
This was long before the Corps of Engineers straitjacketed the once wide and slower-moving river.

— darryl levings, kansascity, "How Kansas City came to fear ‘Pest House Island’," 28 Apr. 2017
Highlights from previous eras, including the 1980s pinnacle of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, look shrunken and straitjacketed in comparison.

— john branch, New York Times, "The Golden State Warriors Play the Beautiful Game," 25 Oct. 2016

First Known Use of straitjacket

1863

STRAITJACKET Defined for English Language Learners

straitjacket

play

noun

Definition of straitjacket for English Language Learners

: a jacket that has long arms which can be tied together behind someone's back and that is used to control the movements of a violent prisoner or patient

Medical Dictionary

straitjacket

noun strait·jack·et

variants: also straightjacket play \ˈstrāt-ˌjak-ət\

medical Definition of straitjacket

:a cover or garment of strong material (as canvas) used to bind the body and especially the arms closely in restraining a violent prisoner or patient

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See words that rhyme with straitjacket Nglish: Translation of straitjacket for Spanish speakers

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Definition of straitjacket

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First Known Use of straitjacket

straitjacket

Definition of straitjacket

Recent Examples of straitjacket from the Web

First Known Use of straitjacket

STRAITJACKET Defined for English Language Learners

straitjacket

Definition of straitjacket for English Language Learners

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straitjacket

medical Definition of straitjacket

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Definition of straitjacket

Recent Examples of straitjacket from the Web

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Definition of straitjacket for English Language Learners

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