as in bind
usually handcuffs plural
something that physically prevents free movement
the man reluctantly held out his wrists so the policeman could snap on handcuffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to bind
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
wanted to take the trip, but was handcuffed by her responsibility to watch her ailing father
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to impede
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the fear that the new mandatory, standardized tests will handcuff the state's teachers, who will have to specifically tailor their lesson plans for the test
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handcuff
Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Pekara said that after metal handcuffs were removed so a CT scan could be conducted, Talley reached under a blanket and fatally shot Officer John Bartholomew in the face.
—Michael Tobin, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 1 May 2026
After being handcuffed and taken to the juvenile detention center, another copy of the fake ID was located in Lindsey’s wallet.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for handcuff
Noun
Thursday, Thorsen was flown in handcuffs from Germany to Atlanta, also the home of CDC headquarters.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Pekara said that after metal handcuffs were removed so a CT scan could be conducted, Talley reached under a blanket and fatally shot Officer John Bartholomew in the face.
—Michael Tobin, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Verb
Two days after the alleged assassin, believed to be a left-wing activist, was handcuffed at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the Wall Street Journal created a graph visualizing the CSIS study’s findings.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 1 May 2026
After being handcuffed and taken to the juvenile detention center, another copy of the fake ID was located in Lindsey’s wallet.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for handcuff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuff
Noun
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Yet with tropical countries approaching the year’s first planting season, prices for key commodity crops haven’t yet budged, putting farmers in a bind.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Years of ignoring improper payments while promoting more program enrollment at all costs have now put the Commonwealth’s taxpayers in a bind.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Never particularly good at controlling the running game, Doval then let Turang steal second before permitting a game-tying single to William Contreras.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
-
The Stallions rallied in the fourth quarter with three consecutive goals to tie the game.—
Alex Kushel,
Sun Sentinel,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
During the next three weeks, mobile internet was impeded or shut off in the center of Moscow.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
State and federal agencies don’t track data around vitamin K injection refusal or subsequent bleeding, which impedes their ability to quantify and track outcomes, including death.—
Duaa Eldeib,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Walter Fredenhagen was the founder of the Cock Robin ice cream parlor chain.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Precariously balanced on the very tip of Coney Island, Sea Gate, where I was raised, is surrounded by water on three sides and divided from the rest of the world by a two-story chain link fence.—
Gabrielle Glancy,
Rolling Stone,
9 May 2026
Verb
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But experts say the seesaw may be hampering efforts to reach a deal.—
Jackie Northam,
NPR,
12 May 2026
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The shadow of the Epstein scandal Starmer's government, despite a massive Labour majority in parliament, has struggled to lower the cost of living and kick start a floundering British economy — hampered albeit by the wars in Ukraine and Iran and their devastating impact on global energy prices.—
Frank Andrews,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Those struggles from deep, specifically Clark’s, are not going to hinder them all season.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
-
Officials say that bright sunlight hindering the driver's vision could be a possible contributing factor.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
An affective reliance on chatbots will only further erode our communal bonds.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
Davis was being held in the Edmond jail on a $1-million bond and listed in jail records as an Oklahoma City resident.—
Hannah Schoenbaum,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Cole Allen, who was shackled and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, pleaded not guilty to attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, transporting a firearm across state lines and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.—
Peter D'Abrosca , Jake Gibson,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
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Allen, who did not speak at all during Monday's hearing, wore an orange prison jumpsuit and was shackled around his hands and feet.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handcuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuff. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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