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

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
Cursing in the workplace, a lack of respect for propriety and protocol, an absence of linguistic and ideological constraints were prizes to a society that had just cast off the Communist straitjacket.

— leonid bershidsky, Twin Cities, "Leonid Bershidsky: Sergei Lavrov, live from the Oval Office", 15 May 2017
Colorado’s youth corrections system will end use of the wrap, a restraint similar to a straitjacket, by July 2018, state human services director Reggie Bicha said Friday in a letter to lawmakers.

— jennifer brown, The Denver Post, "Youth corrections will end use of “wrap” restraint device by July 2018, human services director says", 28 Apr. 2017
His U. S. patents include a toy Houdini that escapes from a straitjacket and a special diving suit, designed to allow the occupant to escape quickly in the event of danger.

— jackson landers, Smithsonian, "Escape Artist Harry Houdini Was an Ingenious Inventor, He Just Didn’t Want Anybody to Know", 9 Jan. 2017
An unquestioning faith in military might and an underinvestment in diplomacy has tied Washington in a policy straitjacket.

— david rohde, New York Times, "‘America’s War for the Greater Middle East,’ by Andrew J. Bacevich", 15 Apr. 2016

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 strait·jack·et

variants: or less commonly

straightjacket

Definition of straitjacket

transitive verb
: to confine in or as if in a straitjacket

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

\ˈstrāt-ˌjak-ət\play

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