handcuff

1 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 chain, enchain, enfetter, fetter, gyve, bind, manacle, pinion, shackle, trammelRelated Words bit, hobble, hog-tie, iron, lash, secure, tie, truss; attach, fasten, join, link; confine, constrain, curb, hamper, hinder, impede; limit, restrict; entangle, tangleNear Antonyms emancipate, free, liberate, loose, release, rescue; undo, unfasten, untangle, untie; detach, disengageAntonyms unbind, unfetter, unshackle

2 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 clog, cramp, embarrass, encumber, fetter, hamper, handicap, hinder, hobble, hog-tie, hold back, hold up, impede, inhibit, interfere (with), manacle, obstruct, shackle, short-circuit, stymie, tie up, trammelRelated Words balk, check, constrain, curb, rein, restrain; bind, chain, halter, leash, tether, tie; arrest, brake, delay, retain, retard; barricade, block, blockade, roadblock; bog (down), mire; choke, smother, stifle, strangle, suffocate; baffle, foil, frustrate, stump, thwart; derail, disrupt, sabotage; muzzle, repress, suppress; confine, hedge (in), hem (in)Near Antonyms clear, make way, open, unclog, unplug, unstop; free, liberate, release, untie; loosen, smooth; encourage, further, promoteAntonyms aid, assist, facilitate, help