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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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handcuffing
The officer around the man's neck then moves his hands to assist the other two officers in handcuffing the man, and replaces his hands with his knee on the man's head and neck.
—
Hayley Walker, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Video from Ford Fischer with News2Share showed agents roughly handcuffing the man with his face on the pavement, and carrying him away as people in the area yelled, honked and blew whistles.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2026
The clip posted by the White House begins with footage of a protest against ICE operations before cutting to a montage of agents handcuffing and detaining people.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 2 Dec. 2025
The recording depicts at least three agents pushing Enriquez to the ground and handcuffing him.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
Law enforcement began handcuffing and pulling people sitting in front of the office’s gates.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
Moments later, police officers suddenly surrounded him, ordering him to the ground and handcuffing him, the local station reported.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Soon after, four police officers can be seen running up to him and tackling him to the ground before handcuffing him and searching his belongings.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
The footage also shows officers handcuffing him.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
Hayley Walker, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Video from Ford Fischer with News2Share showed agents roughly handcuffing the man with his face on the pavement, and carrying him away as people in the area yelled, honked and blew whistles.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2026
The clip posted by the White House begins with footage of a protest against ICE operations before cutting to a montage of agents handcuffing and detaining people.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 2 Dec. 2025
The recording depicts at least three agents pushing Enriquez to the ground and handcuffing him.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
Law enforcement began handcuffing and pulling people sitting in front of the office’s gates.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
Moments later, police officers suddenly surrounded him, ordering him to the ground and handcuffing him, the local station reported.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Soon after, four police officers can be seen running up to him and tackling him to the ground before handcuffing him and searching his belongings.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
The footage also shows officers handcuffing him.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffing
Verb
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Maybe the implications of binding yourself in chains?—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
10 Jan. 2026
-
That’s key given the agreement would be legally binding and set rules, fees, timelines and more for both parties.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For a more permanent setup, mounting it on the ceiling keeps the projector out of the way and minimizes the risk of people, pets, or objects impeding the projection.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Agitators directing traffic and impeding law enforcement activity in Minnesota are drawing sharp criticism from a former police official, who warns the scenes signal a dangerous normalization of obstruction that threatens public safety and the rule of law.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Minnesota guard Cade Tyson hit a game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds left, but Wisconsin counterpart John Blackwell sank a game-winning trey at the buzzer for a 78-75 win at Williams Arena.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
14 Jan. 2026
-
This was the 93rd launch of the year, tying the record on the Space Coast.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This left the country without a regular budget for next year and is hampering plans for long-overdue structural reforms and decisions on use of EU support funds.—
Veselin Toshkov,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2025
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Decades-old grids in the US are hampering new energy rollouts, and Spain’s huge blackout in April was blamed on an aged system unable to cope with power swings.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This pattern will suppress widespread snowfall, confining wintry weather mainly to the Great Lakes, the Northeast, and higher mountain elevations.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Dec. 2025
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Previously, the concept of corralling — confining entities — had been demonstrated only for photons and electrons; this is the first time it has been achieved with atoms.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Minnesota officials, however, have reported that the federal government is blocking state authorities from the FBI probe and hindering their ability to carry out their own independent investigation by preventing them from accessing evidence.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
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Despite his objections to the process, Cotton said he was concerned with the long-term viability of the city’s primary water source and regulations hindering residential development.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In Wisconsin, a bill that would restrict shackling inmates while in labor — something most states already ban — has repeatedly failed to pass the state Legislature.—
Jon Schuppe,
NBC news,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
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With few nearby cities and little on-property lighting, there's not a lot of light pollution obstructing your view of the stars from this International Dark Sky Park.—
Elizabeth Rhodes,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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The video begins with Ross in front of the vehicle driven by Good, who had stopped her burgundy SUV perpendicular to the street, obstructing the flow of traffic.—
Holmes Lybrand,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffing. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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