as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
handcuffed by a dearth of funding, the preservation society can do little but stand by as these historic structures deteriorate
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in bound
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 hampered
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handcuffed
Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 10 June 2026
After being handcuffed and booked at a juvenile detention center, another copy of the fake ID was located in Lindsey’s wallet.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 9 June 2026
Stephens then exited the Jeep and was taken to the ground by multiple officers and handcuffed.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
Police said the suspect tried to run from officers while handcuffed, but he was quickly captured.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
Baraka was handcuffed, detained for five hours and formally charged with trespassing.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
Kante handcuffed Huffman and put him in the back of the squad car while the officers conducted the rest of the investigation.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026
The death of a White student who was handcuffed by police after he had been stabbed is provoking a national outcry in Britain, with officers under fire for their conduct and far-right leaders accused of using the teen’s murder to stoke racist violence for political gain.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
The video appeared to show Hyder pulling Moore down to the ground and punching her before a second officer pulled Moore away and handcuffed her.
—Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026
Verb
In fact, sheriff's deputies handcuffed a Black man accused of assaulting another Black man.
—Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 10 June 2026
After being handcuffed and booked at a juvenile detention center, another copy of the fake ID was located in Lindsey’s wallet.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 9 June 2026
Stephens then exited the Jeep and was taken to the ground by multiple officers and handcuffed.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
Police said the suspect tried to run from officers while handcuffed, but he was quickly captured.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
Baraka was handcuffed, detained for five hours and formally charged with trespassing.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
Kante handcuffed Huffman and put him in the back of the squad car while the officers conducted the rest of the investigation.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026
The death of a White student who was handcuffed by police after he had been stabbed is provoking a national outcry in Britain, with officers under fire for their conduct and far-right leaders accused of using the teen’s murder to stoke racist violence for political gain.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
The video appeared to show Hyder pulling Moore down to the ground and punching her before a second officer pulled Moore away and handcuffed her.
—Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffed
Adjective
-
After having put Brazil ahead minutes earlier, Richarlison popped a cross from Vinícius Júnior into the air, spun, and struck a spectacular acrobatic volley past Serbia’s helpless goalkeeper.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 June 2026
-
Sharks often become bycatch – entangled in fishing nets not intended for them, they are rendered helpless and face certain death.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The first phase of the development will involve two 14-story towers to be constructed in the parking lot space bounded by 63rd Street on the north, 64th Street on the south, the Metra Electric tracks on the east, and Dorchester Avenue on the west.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
-
Dressed almost entirely in black clothes more suitable for winter despite temperatures still hovering in the 80s, the 41-year-old singer bounded onstage and immediately established a tone that was equal parts concert, confessional and motivational speech.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
In roughly half of the cases, dead foundation species hampered the ability of their living counterparts to reestablish, grow and survive after extreme events.—
John Kominoski,
The Conversation,
10 June 2026
-
Trump has often alleged rampant voter fraud that has hampered Republicans’ success, and his base has largely accepted these sentiments to be true, despite no evidence backing up his accusations.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Hollywood on a bad day is paralyzed, absolutely paralyzed, and incapable of making new decisions.—
Benjamin VanHoose,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
-
One of the bullets hit the teen’s spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, his mother said.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
Winery owner Joe Brandonisio of Maple Park, Illinois, told CBS News' Rob Marciano that one of his workers tied himself to a water trailer to keep from being blown away during a powerful storm.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
Nasdaq even revised its rules to allow SpaceX to gain entry into funds tied to its indexes in 15 days, which means investors will end up buying the rocket maker’s shares much earlier.—
Bernard Condon,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Macy’s was notorious in its industry for how siloed its teams and culture were, characteristics that impeded prior turnaround efforts until Spring, CEO since 2024, instilled a culture of self-examination and an ability to admit mistakes before quickly moving on.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
-
Aid workers have also told CNN that the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and US funding cuts carried out prior to the outbreak have impeded the response.—
Erikas Mwisi,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
But his father contracted pneumonia in 2011, and after two decades in prison, his body was too weak to fight it.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
That gap is where signal blindness, misalignment, bottlenecks, execution delays and weak learning loops quietly convert external change into our fragilities.—
Christopher Washington,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Joaquin Escoto, 28, entered Stanislaus County Superior Court shackled at the wrists and ankles, wearing an orange-and-white jail uniform and sitting beside his attorney and a Spanish interpreter.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
-
According to the lawsuit, four days after ZOR arrived at the facility, ICE officers shackled him and drove him to the Mexican border.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffed. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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