as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the downtown development committee claims that it's hamstrung by city ordinances protecting historic buildings
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Recent Examples of hamstring
While Oklahoma City deployed its 10th or 11th men at times, Redick stuck to eight- or nine-man rotations, hamstrung by inefficiencies across the bottom half of the roster.
—
Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
Democrats in control of the legislature warn that would hamstring other state priorities, like education and healthcare, by sapping money from the general fund.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
Assayas is a great filmmaker, but seems hamstrung by this being a film, not a series.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
But future work may be hamstrung by federal funding cuts.
—Joanna Thompson, Space.com, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hamstring
Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
Democrats in control of the legislature warn that would hamstring other state priorities, like education and healthcare, by sapping money from the general fund.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
Assayas is a great filmmaker, but seems hamstrung by this being a film, not a series.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
But future work may be hamstrung by federal funding cuts.
—Joanna Thompson, Space.com, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hamstring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hamstring
Verb
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But residents and local leaders in both cities tell a different story, describing communities paralyzed with fear and worried they could be swept up in the immigration operations.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
8 Dec. 2025
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The fine stemmed from a winter storm in December 2022 that paralyzed Southwest’s operations in Denver and Chicago and then snowballed when a crew-rescheduling system couldn’t keep up with the chaos.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The fall broke both his legs, crippling him.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
14 June 2026
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However, thanks to this unconventional build, Argus can traverse a wide range of terrains, move with equal ease in almost any direction, and shrug off damage that would cripple many robots.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The alleged threat is portrayed as undermining First Amendment protections for freedom of association, which concerns the ability of groups to engage in expression and group activities without government interference.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 June 2026
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So, Sacramento needs to undermine the demagogic manufacturers by stepping up vote counting while keeping elections virtually fraud-free.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Verb
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The screenplay grows more complex and rewarding as the central relationship weakens, effectively forcing Sonya to deal with her exhausting boyfriend (Levon Hawke) and pushing Coley to connect with her father who, for whatever reason, spends a lot of time hand-making turquoise jewelry.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 June 2026
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This, of course, is problematic for the homegrown haters because the opposing opinion from neutral outsiders weakens their argument and should strengthen our resolve.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
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The lieutenant governor assumes the top job if the governor is incapacitated or dies.—
Tarini Mehta,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
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For example, if mom's alive but incapacitated, the heir legally owns nothing and has zero rights to manage the house.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hamstring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstring. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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