fettering

verb

present participle of fetter
1
as in binding
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains museum artifacts that serve as somber reminders of the days when slaves were fettered with irons

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impeding
to create difficulty for the work or activity of the belief that too many rules and restrictions fetter children's creativity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fettering
  1. binding
  2. impeding
  3. tying
  4. hampering
  5. confining
  6. hindering
  7. constraining
  8. obstructing
Verb
  • Indeed, earlier this year the EU created a legally binding 2040 emissions reduction target.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • That binding — along with effects similar to opioid drugs such as heroin, oxycodone or fentanyl — makes kratom an opioid-like drug, though its biological effects are weaker than those of typical opioids.
    — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of binding
Verb
  • There’s also a 24-hour gym, a light and airy place with multiple cardio machines, weight training equipment, and floor space for yoga, stretching, or floor exercises (and enough room to do so without impeding on anyone else’s space).
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Garces Perez faces one count of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer.
    — Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of impeding
Verb
  • Trump is leaning into transactional politics by tying his administration directly to economic benefits in states that could determine control of Congress.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Other fans criticized Clark for celebrating at a concert only hours after missing a potential game-tying shot in Indiana’s loss.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of tying
Verb
  • Front-line workers have gone on strike several times since the outbreak began, further hampering efforts to contain the disease.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The Royals finished 22nd in runs scored, with injuries hampering much of the 2026 campaign.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of hampering
Verb
  • If youth teams practiced like the pros, confining full contact to once a week, impacts could fall by more than half, Daneshvar says.
    — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In December 2025, non-profit Amnesty International wrote in a report that confining men in small cages exposed to the elements could constitute torture under international law.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of confining
Verb
  • Bonner was charged last week with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and hindering or interfering with police.
    — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Robinson, 59, of Churchill, Pennsylvania, is the managing attorney at a Pittsburgh law firm, and has been charged with felony tampering and hindering apprehension for trying to conceal evidence.
    — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of hindering
Verb
  • The conflict in the Middle East has choked oil flows from the region, constraining global supply.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The drug stops the virus from multiplying in the body, effectively constraining its severity.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of constraining
Verb
  • The vehicle was stopped for a few minutes perpendicular to a snowy residential Minneapolis street, obstructing the flow of traffic.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Collaboration means different interests working through disagreements to find common ground – not obstructing progress in court while forests burn.
    — Chris Edwards, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of obstructing
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.

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fettered
fettering
fetters
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Cite this Entry

“Fettering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fettering. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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