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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of handcuffing
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
That means there’s no constitutional precedent for handcuffing the commander in chief as congressional Democrats demand.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
For Jones, doing his part meant observing, which led to at least four officers jumping on his back, handcuffing him, crushing his legs, and grinding his forehead into the frozen concrete.
—Evan Minsker, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2026
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
That means there’s no constitutional precedent for handcuffing the commander in chief as congressional Democrats demand.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
For Jones, doing his part meant observing, which led to at least four officers jumping on his back, handcuffing him, crushing his legs, and grinding his forehead into the frozen concrete.
—Evan Minsker, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffing
Verb
-
The report has no binding value and is merely a synthesis of deliberations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
-
Hours later, Venus slips into sentimental Cancer, seducing the atmosphere with intuition, emotional waves and spell-binding fantasy.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The origin of the drones was unclear, but the French news agency AFP quoted Vyacheslav Chaus, governor of the neighboring Chernihiv region in Ukraine, as saying that Russian craft have been constantly hovering over the area and impeding the fire response.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
8 May 2026
-
Makary’s tenure has also been tumultuous, marked by personnel drama, departures of longtime staff, and controversy over political pressure impeding the FDA’s scientific process.—
Lizzy Lawrence,
STAT,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Barrett shot a 1-under 69, tying for fourth place with Oliver Clark of Baltimore and Charlie Hanson of Manakin Sabot, Virginia.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
7 May 2026
-
Barahona and his wife, Carmen, beat and tortured the twins, tying them with electrical cord and shocking them in a bathtub with the door locked, investigators said.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In the third game of his career, the 2024 second-round pick re-tore the ACL in his right knee, further hampering an injury history that dated back to his final year at the University of Texas.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Apr. 2026
-
According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the truck drove through the airport's version of a stop light and the vehicle lacked a transponder, hampering a crash warning system.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And a key component of the novel and the show is the setting itself, which is a real impeachment of our mental health system, this history of confining and discarding lives that has spilled out into the streets of America.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
From corrective eye surgery to confining plasma for nuclear fusion research and from entertainment to quickening checkout at supermarkets, lasers are now part of our everyday lives.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Columbia Business School professor Gernot Wagner said more Americans will ultimately adopt EVs despite the roadblocks that are hindering ownership.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
-
Most hypersonic missiles can perform evasive maneuvers while in flight, hindering detection and interception, unlike regular missiles.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Men are often the ones in those ICE facilities who are shackling and chaining detainees.—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Eight people were arrested at the demonstration, Gothamist said, and were charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
Guido Reichstadter was safely removed from the bridge and is charged with crowding, obstructing or incommoding, unlawful entry and failing to obey an officer, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told Fox News Digital.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
