1
as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
several hamstrung attempts to reorganize the local parent-teacher association were made
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of hamstrung
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
Conservatives, who have long sought to reduce the size of the federal workforce, say Trump should not be hamstrung.
—Carlos Waters, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
The exact impacts are unclear, but airports, Amtrak trains and wildfire response would probably not be hamstrung, officials told Bay Area News Group on Monday.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Republicans like Councilor Michael-Paul Hart, who sponsored the proposal to reform the General Orders Board, said the current setup gives civilians too much power and has made officers feel hamstrung by some of the orders.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 28 Aug. 2025
R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Its new car, the AMR26, has been hamstrung by issues stemming from its Honda engine right the way through the year’s opening race weekend.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
In addition to higher construction costs, the convention center expansion is hamstrung by the city’s lack of control over a key waterfront parcel that would be needed to complete the project.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
But others are designed for running on servers and can take up many gigabytes of space on a hard drive; they’d be hamstrung by your computer’s memory, which is no match for data-center systems.
—Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2026
And Mass Development, the state agency that supports small business projects, was hamstrung by federal rules that also exclude multi-use projects.
—Elizabeth MacBride, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Business owners and executives who disapproved of the tariffs said their companies were hamstrung by higher prices for inputs, lower product demand, supply chain shortages and a reluctance to hire or invest due to uncertainty over trade deals and a prolonged government shutdown.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
But further research on the long-term effects of space on humans is hamstrung by the small available sample size.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 21 Jan. 2026
But a big-money move to European giant Barcelona smothered him in weighty expectations and he was hamstrung with a plethora of injuries.
—Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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
Conservatives, who have long sought to reduce the size of the federal workforce, say Trump should not be hamstrung.
—Carlos Waters, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
The exact impacts are unclear, but airports, Amtrak trains and wildfire response would probably not be hamstrung, officials told Bay Area News Group on Monday.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Republicans like Councilor Michael-Paul Hart, who sponsored the proposal to reform the General Orders Board, said the current setup gives civilians too much power and has made officers feel hamstrung by some of the orders.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
So many relationships get hamstrung by one or both partners expecting the other to read their minds.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Its new car, the AMR26, has been hamstrung by issues stemming from its Honda engine right the way through the year’s opening race weekend.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
In addition to higher construction costs, the convention center expansion is hamstrung by the city’s lack of control over a key waterfront parcel that would be needed to complete the project.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
But others are designed for running on servers and can take up many gigabytes of space on a hard drive; they’d be hamstrung by your computer’s memory, which is no match for data-center systems.
—Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2026
And Mass Development, the state agency that supports small business projects, was hamstrung by federal rules that also exclude multi-use projects.
—Elizabeth MacBride, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Business owners and executives who disapproved of the tariffs said their companies were hamstrung by higher prices for inputs, lower product demand, supply chain shortages and a reluctance to hire or invest due to uncertainty over trade deals and a prolonged government shutdown.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
But further research on the long-term effects of space on humans is hamstrung by the small available sample size.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 21 Jan. 2026
But a big-money move to European giant Barcelona smothered him in weighty expectations and he was hamstrung with a plethora of injuries.
—Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hamstrung
Adjective
-
Attempts to get a comment from the district office were unsuccessful.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Corrections staff attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful, according to the MDOC.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Carrington said Ny'Leek died of cardiac arrest Thursday, a little more than a year after surviving a hit-and-run that left him paralyzed from the neck down.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The conflict has physically split the energy world into two paralyzed halves.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The prisoner releases come as Cuba experiences at least a partial reprieve from the energy crisis that has crippled the island.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Iranian missile attacks this month crippled a key industrial center in Qatar, which produces about one-third of the world’s helium.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Additionally, in a typical year, 17 million gallons of gas are spilled due to the inefficient manner the fuel is conveyed.—
Chris Hildreth,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
-
With the help of Ware’s positive minutes, the Heat survived an inefficient shooting night from Adebayo.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Weaponized incompetence, or the practice of being so helpless that the labor simply falls on someone else, has long been a feature of domestic life.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
-
But Lumet and screenwriter Frank Pierson ease up on the laughs as Sonny’s predicament grows more helpless, allowing the audience to feel his desperation as the drama barrels toward a tragic finale.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For the Royals, the loss undermined a stellar performance from starting pitcher Michael Wacha.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
-
These institutions undermined themselves too.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The leaks also led to major changes at Meta and in the tech industry, which began to weed out research that could be viewed as counterproductive for the companies.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
-
These structured habits—doing the same thing in the same place at the same time of day—were more likely to lead to long-term success than attempting to squelch counterproductive impulses in the moment.—
Francine Russo,
Scientific American,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The slide appears to have involved a thick slab of soft snow breaking loose at a weak layer in the snowpack, the report said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Endowed not only with a privileged birthright but—unlike the actual princes over in England, who had weak chins and went bald young—the physical stature to match?—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hamstrung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hamstrung. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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