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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of hamstringing
For example, states would often impose tariffs on each other’s goods, even if those goods were moving only from Virginia to Maryland and vice versa, thereby inhibiting the development of a national market and hamstringing internal trade.
—
Jordan Cash,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
Connecticut has among the highest electric rates in the nation, with some officials and legislators arguing that is hamstringing economic development efforts.
—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
18 Feb. 2026
But in the business community, people worry about the proposals hamstringing Colorado’s competitiveness with other states, Colorado Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Loren Furman said Tuesday.
—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
17 Feb. 2026
All three Eastern Conference teams are vying in what has become a wide-open race, with injuries hamstringing several teams.
—
Tyler Erzberger,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
The team has had trouble finding traction this season, with early injuries and the six-game suspension of wide receiver Rashee Rice hamstringing their offensive efforts.
—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
8 Dec. 2025
Trump’s action will feed America’s destructive use of oil, while hamstringing us in the green tech race against Chinese and other foreign carmakers.
—
Clara McMichael,
ABC News,
3 Dec. 2025
That strategy has also allowed Nintendo to avoid the high costs and constant retraining that are hamstringing its competitors.
—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
28 Nov. 2025
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
Jordan Cash,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
Connecticut has among the highest electric rates in the nation, with some officials and legislators arguing that is hamstringing economic development efforts.
—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
18 Feb. 2026
But in the business community, people worry about the proposals hamstringing Colorado’s competitiveness with other states, Colorado Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Loren Furman said Tuesday.
—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
17 Feb. 2026
All three Eastern Conference teams are vying in what has become a wide-open race, with injuries hamstringing several teams.
—
Tyler Erzberger,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
The team has had trouble finding traction this season, with early injuries and the six-game suspension of wide receiver Rashee Rice hamstringing their offensive efforts.
—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
8 Dec. 2025
Trump’s action will feed America’s destructive use of oil, while hamstringing us in the green tech race against Chinese and other foreign carmakers.
—
Clara McMichael,
ABC News,
3 Dec. 2025
That strategy has also allowed Nintendo to avoid the high costs and constant retraining that are hamstringing its competitors.
—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
28 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hamstringing
Verb
-
With endless criteria, knowing exactly what to ask for from a pair of jean shorts is paralyzing.
-
His grief was crushing, paralyzing, calamitous.
Verb
-
Eddie Marsan also delivers a sympathetic turn as the sad sack dad worn down by the effects of capitalism and sometimes crippling OCD.
-
Crucially, the strike targeted a critical AVT-6 distillation unit, potentially crippling the refinery's entire 12 million tons/year capacity,.
Verb
-
Introducing such evidence can provoke sympathy for the defendant and distrust towards the prosecuting attorney, potentially undermining the case.
-
The following evening, three legislators complained to me that several of these groups were actively undermining one another.
Verb
-
Negotiating with Iran at the table, in his view, risks strengthening Iran’s role in Lebanon and weakening Lebanon’s own government.
-
Several countermeasures aimed at overturning or weakening the billionaire tax have also made the November ballot.
Verb
-
Oftentimes, disabling security protections is frowned upon.
-
Anthropic complied within hours, disabling the models for all customers globally, though other models remain active.
Verb
-
Tabitha grabs one of the weird, spooky totem things and drives it through the chest of the scarecrow monster attacking Donna, killing it – or at least incapacitating it – and the scarecrows retreat.
-
One of four passengers in Bain’s car, 22-year-old Destiny Betts, suffered incapacitating injuries and was transported to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial from the scene, according to the report.
Cite this Entry
“Hamstringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstringing. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
