as in paralyzing
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 hamstringing
In March, cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) disappeared the nearly $2 billion invested in the RECOVER (Researching Covid to Enhance Recovery) initiative, hamstringing research that might have yielded diagnostic tests or better treatments.
—
Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Sauer warned that the lower ruling was hamstringing enforcement efforts by raising the possibility of contempt when agents conduct immigration raids in the district.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 8 Sep. 2025
The Federal Communications Commission is hamstringing its upcoming review of broadband availability by ignoring the prices consumers must pay for Internet service, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said in a statement yesterday.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2025
The current lack of talent in these industries is hamstringing organization success.
—Solange Charas, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
The defense had complained restrictions on computer use at MDC-Brooklyn were hamstringing the music mogul's ability to assist his attorneys.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2024
Ultimately, that could mean hamstringing tech companies’ efforts to reduce hateful or false content on their platforms.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 29 Nov. 2024
These impending realities presage unimagined new social welfare burdens for a no longer dazzling Chinese economy and may end up hamstringing the funding for Beijing’s international ambitions.
—Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024
Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Sauer warned that the lower ruling was hamstringing enforcement efforts by raising the possibility of contempt when agents conduct immigration raids in the district.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 8 Sep. 2025
The Federal Communications Commission is hamstringing its upcoming review of broadband availability by ignoring the prices consumers must pay for Internet service, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said in a statement yesterday.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2025
The current lack of talent in these industries is hamstringing organization success.
—Solange Charas, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
The defense had complained restrictions on computer use at MDC-Brooklyn were hamstringing the music mogul's ability to assist his attorneys.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2024
Ultimately, that could mean hamstringing tech companies’ efforts to reduce hateful or false content on their platforms.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 29 Nov. 2024
These impending realities presage unimagined new social welfare burdens for a no longer dazzling Chinese economy and may end up hamstringing the funding for Beijing’s international ambitions.
—Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hamstringing
Verb
-
Discipline without optimism is paralyzing.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Shortly after Henry’s death, Augusta suffered two paralyzing strokes, intensifying her and Ed’s isolated, co-dependent relationship before her death in 1945.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Perreira agrees that the financial imbalance in the game is crippling West Indies.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Age proved to be a crucial issue ahead of the 2024 presidential election, undermining former President Joe Biden's bid for reelection as political rivals and many voters expressed concerns over his health and his fitness for office.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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Trump has a recent history of stirring the pot, undermining the diplomatic victories Bessent and Greer secured with China.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Washington — The Federal Reserve was already facing one of its most difficult battles, steering a shifting economy through a weakening labor market and stubborn inflation.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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Far from expanding opportunity, this excessive wealth locks millions out of the chance to innovate and build, weakening growth for all.—
Scott Ellis,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Given the disease’s wide range of trajectories and manifestations—from mild and manageable to severely disabling—some now regard it as a group of diseases, rather than a single one.—
Lucinda Rosenfeld,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
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It is associated with hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impair daily functioning and can be disabling.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
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While the name suggests something far more trivial, significant damage to the ligaments of the metatarsophalangeal joint can be incapacitating.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hamstringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstringing. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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