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
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
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
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The pressure Alex, who is endowed by Martin with endearing softness and paralyzing self-doubt, feels to be a brave cop, a strong father, and the righteous hero of this story can’t be separated from his experience as a trans man still honing his relationship to masculinity.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
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By contrast, maybe such language engenders a sense of defeatism, a belief in the inevitability of collapse which is collectively paralyzing.—
Ed Simon
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Perreira agrees that the financial imbalance in the game is crippling West Indies.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Related Stories Pogachefsky is now suing 42West and his former employees, accusing them of crippling his company and scuttling his talks to sell the firm.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The liberties taken elsewhere also go a long way toward undermining the series’ closing message of near-universal empathy.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Oct. 2025
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Even the Commission has warned that climate disinformation is undermining support for action.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If the economy is not weakening, but strengthening, the outlook for inflation could tilt higher.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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Equal-weight consumer discretionary has been under a bit of pressure, with restaurant and travel names weakening, and is now clearly underperforming the broad market on a one-year basis.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Because fiber-optic drones are harder to produce, they are typically reserved for high-value strikes or for disabling jamming systems to clear the way for cheaper FPVs.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
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The crew then fired three rounds into the starboard engine, disabling the boat about four miles southwest of Point Loma.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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To write one’s way out of the incapacitating dependence of daughterhood into autonomy means shedding the unquestioning fidelity of a child.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hamstringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstringing. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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