1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
several hamstrung attempts to reorganize the local parent-teacher association were made
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzed
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
hamstrung by recent congressional limitations on executive power, the president can do little in this situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in crippled
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hamstrung
Terrence O'Brien,
The Verge,
31 May 2026
Does this mean that the courts are effectively hamstrung for several weeks from the start of early voting to Election Day?
—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Still, amid his newfound songwriting success, Gordy felt hamstrung by the realities of the record biz.
—
Brian McCollum,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Haithcock said schools have been financially hamstrung since Act 10 – the Scott Walker-era landmark law in 2011 that curtailed union bargaining power and cut take-home pay for workers – especially amid declining student enrollment.
—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
The lingering animosity, in his view, hamstrung budget talks and the passage of the Legislature’s most consequential proposals.
—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
In Oregon, too, where gray wolves have been established for longer, ranchers feel hamstrung.
—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
16 Feb. 2026
At the outset of the Hot Stove Season, the Mets moved fan-favorite Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in return for sure-handed, but potentially bat-hamstrung second baseman, Marcus Semien.
—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Yet, spending significantly more long-term money on one closer compared to the alternatives on the market could wind up leaving the Mets financially hamstrung.
—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Nov. 2025
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
Liverpool have been hamstrung by the absence of their four most important attackers through injury in recent weeks, but there has been little sign of improvement as the season draws to a close.
—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
Rian is similarly hamstrung by inarticulacy and masculine angst, but his storyline feels the least convincing, as if fashioned only to prove money can’t buy happiness, even if Cole convincingly suggests unspoken depths.
—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Qatar, the world's second-largest supplier which owns part of the world's largest gas field, has seen its export capacity hamstrung by Iranian strikes.
—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
While Oklahoma City deployed its 10th or 11th men at times, Redick stuck to eight- or nine-man rotations, hamstrung by inefficiencies across the bottom half of the roster.
—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Assayas is a great filmmaker, but seems hamstrung by this being a film, not a series.
—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
But future work may be hamstrung by federal funding cuts.
—
Joanna Thompson,
Space.com,
12 May 2026
The state is hamstrung in its redistricting efforts despite a Republican trifecta by a constitutional amendment barring maps favoring a specific party.
—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
But that machine was largely considered a hamstrung disaster.
—
Terrence O'Brien,
The Verge,
31 May 2026
Does this mean that the courts are effectively hamstrung for several weeks from the start of early voting to Election Day?
—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Still, amid his newfound songwriting success, Gordy felt hamstrung by the realities of the record biz.
—
Brian McCollum,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Haithcock said schools have been financially hamstrung since Act 10 – the Scott Walker-era landmark law in 2011 that curtailed union bargaining power and cut take-home pay for workers – especially amid declining student enrollment.
—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
The lingering animosity, in his view, hamstrung budget talks and the passage of the Legislature’s most consequential proposals.
—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
In Oregon, too, where gray wolves have been established for longer, ranchers feel hamstrung.
—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
16 Feb. 2026
At the outset of the Hot Stove Season, the Mets moved fan-favorite Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in return for sure-handed, but potentially bat-hamstrung second baseman, Marcus Semien.
—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Yet, spending significantly more long-term money on one closer compared to the alternatives on the market could wind up leaving the Mets financially hamstrung.
—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
Even those items that can be produced will be hamstrung by constraints to global trade.
—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
Liverpool have been hamstrung by the absence of their four most important attackers through injury in recent weeks, but there has been little sign of improvement as the season draws to a close.
—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
Rian is similarly hamstrung by inarticulacy and masculine angst, but his storyline feels the least convincing, as if fashioned only to prove money can’t buy happiness, even if Cole convincingly suggests unspoken depths.
—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Qatar, the world's second-largest supplier which owns part of the world's largest gas field, has seen its export capacity hamstrung by Iranian strikes.
—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
While Oklahoma City deployed its 10th or 11th men at times, Redick stuck to eight- or nine-man rotations, hamstrung by inefficiencies across the bottom half of the roster.
—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Assayas is a great filmmaker, but seems hamstrung by this being a film, not a series.
—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
But future work may be hamstrung by federal funding cuts.
—
Joanna Thompson,
Space.com,
12 May 2026
The state is hamstrung in its redistricting efforts despite a Republican trifecta by a constitutional amendment barring maps favoring a specific party.
—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hamstrung
Adjective
-
More than a decade ago, her association sought the same change at the federal level and was unsuccessful — opposed at the time by Wine Institute.
-
The city had taken it over, but several attempts at renovation were unsuccessful, until Alan Leventhal, chief executive of Beacon Capital Partners, happened to see the building and envisioned it as a great hotel.
Adjective
-
The teen, who was crossing the street at the time, was run over twice by the truck, causing catastrophic injuries that left him paralyzed from the waist down, local ABC affiliate WKBW reported.
-
Surely there were those in attendance, and those watching, who conjured horrible thoughts of Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley being left permanently paralyzed from the chest down after taking a vicious hit from the Oakland Raiders’ Jack Tatum during a 1978 preseason game.
Verb
-
This comes at a dire time for Venezuela, which is still deep in political and financial crisis – being led by an interim government after US forces captured President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, and facing an economy crippled by years of hyperinflation.
-
Aegon, who was burned and crippled in Season 2, fled with Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), leaving his cruel, one-eyed brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) to sit on the Iron Throne.
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, physician and care teams are buckling under substantial administrative pressures, documentation burden, fragmented data and inefficient digital systems, according to research from the American Medical Association (AMA).
-
Cameron was inefficient from the start.
Adjective
-
But when his son Naseer was born in May 2025, Ajas Ahmed had never felt so helpless.
-
Over the course of a 60-yard run, Maradona danced past opponents, escaped challenges and left English defenders helpless before beating the goalkeeper with a clinical finish.
Verb
-
Over his 18-year tenure at the Fed, Greenspan embodied the omnipotent technocrat — a legacy critics say was fatally undermined by his failure to spot the 2008 housing bubble.
-
Only one in five workers was fully engaged; one in seven actively undermined the firm.
Adjective
-
But citing this can mean nearly anything seen as counterproductive.
-
But adding those traits at the expense of defensive versatility would be counterproductive.
Adjective
-
Depressed wages, a weak currency and hyperinflation have continued to make life difficult for ordinary Venezuelans, many of whom struggle to afford basic goods.
-
There, the Sox scored on a weak, off-line throw from shallow left fielder José Caballero.
Cite this Entry
“Hamstrung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstrung. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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