1
as in binding
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
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2
as in impeding
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
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Recent Examples of handcuffing
However, video footage captured at the event and obtained by The Star seems to show officers pinning teens to the ground, handcuffing at least one.
—
Ilana Arougheti
june 10, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
Cellphone video showed officers handcuffing and pressing him against an unmarked sedan, with his forehead bloodied.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 May 2026
Agents then discharged their weapons and pursued Allen, exchanging gunfire and later tackling and handcuffing him.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.
—R.j. Rico, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
The video sees one officer remove cash, a pair of AirPods, and pills from his pocket during the search before handcuffing him.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.
—R.j. Rico, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Common Knowledge The right’s first instinct after the ruling was to treat it as another case of judges handcuffing a president who was trying to act decisively in the national interest.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
While the juvenile was on his stomach, Officer Dugan allegedly used his espantoon on the back of the juvenile's neck, before handcuffing him and placing him in the patrol car.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Ilana Arougheti
june 10, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
Cellphone video showed officers handcuffing and pressing him against an unmarked sedan, with his forehead bloodied.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 May 2026
Agents then discharged their weapons and pursued Allen, exchanging gunfire and later tackling and handcuffing him.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.
—R.j. Rico, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
The video sees one officer remove cash, a pair of AirPods, and pills from his pocket during the search before handcuffing him.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.
—R.j. Rico, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Common Knowledge The right’s first instinct after the ruling was to treat it as another case of judges handcuffing a president who was trying to act decisively in the national interest.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
While the juvenile was on his stomach, Officer Dugan allegedly used his espantoon on the back of the juvenile's neck, before handcuffing him and placing him in the patrol car.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffing
Verb
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But a binding point of view remains frustratingly elusive, suggesting the material might have been better served by a three-part limited series.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
6 June 2026
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Such black holes would be extremely hard to spot and thus might account for some or all of the universe’s dark matter—an invisible, lightless something that seems to act like gravitational glue, binding together galaxies and galaxy clusters.—
Jonathan O'Callaghan,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Protests outside the gates have shown activists pummeling cars, impeding the exits and in some cases getting hurled out of the way after collisions with vehicles attempting to speed away from the violent activists.—
Eric Mack,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
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Over the years, the number of cars parking near the bridge — often illegally, sometimes impeding emergency vehicles — has risen.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
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But as the old saw has it, a lie goes round the world while the truth is tying its bootlaces.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The second quarter started with a bang, with BC High tying it back up at three right off the faceoff.—
Erik Anderson,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Last year, Alexander Isak’s eventual defection following a summer-long saga proved disastrous, hampering Newcastle’s own business, which had already been affected by Paul Mitchell’s departure as sporting director in May and by being pipped to their top targets.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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Deep mistrust among some people in the town is hampering response efforts to the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus — for which there is no vaccine.—
Emmet Livingstone,
NPR,
28 May 2026
Verb
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But the black, confining nunnery space reminds a bit of some medieval dungeon.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
4 June 2026
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Cages were originally for holding birds or other animals, and then, by extension, for confining and punishing humans.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
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This structural debt was hindering basic operations and the company’s ability to serve customers, especially as clients’ technology needs evolve.—
Sage Lazzaro,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
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There are reports that China may have provided Iran with access to its BeiDou satellite navigation system, significantly improving the accuracy of Iran’s missiles and drones and hindering any effort to jam or spoof them.—
Michael P. Dempsey,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The Baltimore region has suffered too long from underinvestment in transit services — which is shackling economic growth, harming the environment and constraining quality of life for families.—
Brandon Scott,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Feb. 2026
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Men are often the ones in those ICE facilities who are shackling and chaining detainees.—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Articles of impeachment were brought against him on two counts, for allegedly abusing his power through his dealings with Zelenskyy and then allegedly obstructing the House’s investigation into the matter.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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Ouellet faces charges of domestic violence, obstructing the report of a crime or injury and possession of a deadly weapon.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffing. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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