as in paralyzes
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hamstrings
Verb
-
Monster blizzard paralyzes Northeast with extreme snow, soaring power outages.—
,
FOXNews.com,
23 Feb. 2026 -
For example, the curare plant poisons used by South and Central American hunters paralyzes the respiratory system.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After an onboard explosion cripples the spacecraft, Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) and his crew are left working through a chain of problems with limited oxygen, power and time.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
These pressures could produce a tsunami that fractures the state’s fiscal foundation, self-inflicts a crisis ultimately demanding drastic cuts, and cripples its competitiveness.—
Andrew Rein,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
From a consumer standpoint, the denial of being able to watch preferred games on account of college football broadcast exclusivity undermines fan interests.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
One of the points opponents of Mississippi’s law, and similar laws in 13 other states, have made is how counting ballots that roll in after Election Day undermines public confidence in elections.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That limits air movement, reduces water infiltration, restricts root growth, and weakens biological activity.—
Dr. Avishesh Neupane,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
-
By Thursday night, geomagnetic activity weakens and retreats north, making aurora visibility in Iowa unlikely or very limited.—
Cooper Worth,
Des Moines Register,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lorenzo confronts and incapacitates Pepe, Sonia’s main ally, before facing Sonia herself.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hamstrings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstrings. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
