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
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For example, the curare plant poisons used by South and Central American hunters paralyzes the respiratory system.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
7 Jan. 2026 -
Turning his challenge into a mission and helping others overcome what paralyzes them.—
Isabella Kunde,
CBS News,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
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Scarface and friends attack the lab, and break out the kryptonite that cripples El and Kali.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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That lesson undermines every company trying to build trust, loyalty and long-term engagement.—
Helmut Paul,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
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The association is withdrawing as the official facilitator of the White House meeting, saying the partisan approach undermines collaboration.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cutting the International Affairs Budget (which includes USAID) weakens our global leadership and can leave preventable crises to become a problem later on.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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That pattern weakens the polar vortex’s grip on cold air, allowing Arctic air to spill into the central and southern United States.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Houston Chronicle,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lorenzo confronts and incapacitates Pepe, Sonia’s main ally, before facing Sonia herself.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hamstrings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstrings. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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