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
Relevance
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
Verb
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Iranian officials in recent years had also been increasingly threatening that the Islamic Republic could seek the bomb, even while its diplomats have pointed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s preachings as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran wouldn’t build one.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026 -
Iranian officials in recent years had also been increasingly threatening that the Islamic Republic could seek the bomb, even while its diplomats have pointed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statments as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran wouldn’t build one.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Homan says in the past month, 158 people have been arrested for impeding or assaulting federal officers, with 85 cases already accepted for prosecution.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Federal prosecutors secured an indictment against Laryen Torres-Carmona in September, charging the 26-year-old with two counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the snow and wind, Broncos kicker Wil Lutz lined up for a potential game-tying field goal with less than five minutes left in the AFC title game.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Pritchard scored 15 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting, and the Celtics didn't trail again after Brown hit a tying 3-pointer and scored again from long range midway through the first quarter.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The wintry blast, after hampering malls and stores Sunday, is making travel challenging Monday with roads still presenting treacherous conditions, coated by a mixture of frozen precipitation.—
Brian Womack,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Elon Musk warned the biggest issue hampering AI advancement in the United States is a problem Chinese competitors don’t have.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This pattern will suppress widespread snowfall, confining wintry weather mainly to the Great Lakes, the Northeast, and higher mountain elevations.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Dec. 2025
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Previously, the concept of corralling — confining entities — had been demonstrated only for photons and electrons; this is the first time it has been achieved with atoms.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The instigators were allowed to go beyond peaceful protests to hindering law enforcement from doing their job which escalated with the result of two people tragically losing their lives.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
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Anyone raising these concerns last season, when Arsenal finished in a distant second place, would be politely informed that the only curb on their creativity was the injuries that were hindering Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even in the most sophisticated organizations, however, fear is quietly constraining it.—
Carolyn Dewar,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
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Florida laws are constraining the choice of residents to install their own solar generation and storage capabilities.—
Bob Norberg,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Also, the amount of sunlight that reaches an area can change dramatically over the growing season, so re-check every week or so to make sure nothing is obstructing access to sunlight.—
Kerry Michaels,
The Spruce,
5 Feb. 2026
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Indeed, some emergency routes have huge mountains of snowy ice chunks obstructing more than one lane of the road because the snowplows could not move the snow to the side of the road due to all of the bike lane obstacles .—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Fettering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fettering. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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