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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handcuffing
The police then appear to grab hold off the councilmember, pushing him to the ground and handcuffing him.
—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2026
The decree requires law enforcement to meet specific goals before federal oversight is removed, including changes to the use of force policy, limiting military-style tactics during protests and banning handcuffing children under 14.
—
Riley Moser,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
The video then cuts to the produce section of the store, where two officers stand off with the man who authorities say is Tabor, tackling him to the ground and handcuffing him.
—
Jazmin Alvarado,
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2026
The 14-second-long video posted on TikTok on Tuesday shows officers, including ICE agents, handcuffing and arresting people.
—
Sam Peters,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
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
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2026
The decree requires law enforcement to meet specific goals before federal oversight is removed, including changes to the use of force policy, limiting military-style tactics during protests and banning handcuffing children under 14.
—
Riley Moser,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
The video then cuts to the produce section of the store, where two officers stand off with the man who authorities say is Tabor, tackling him to the ground and handcuffing him.
—
Jazmin Alvarado,
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2026
The 14-second-long video posted on TikTok on Tuesday shows officers, including ICE agents, handcuffing and arresting people.
—
Sam Peters,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffing
Verb
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Its binding values of labor and community remain relevant, even if today’s Hollywood rarely speaks to them.
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The six Republican appointees said those protections were effectively useless and not binding.
Verb
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Florida’s sanctuary city laws forbid local governments from impeding ICE from doing its job, such as by not sharing information with the federal government.
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Fifteen people, most of them Minnesotans, were arrested and charged last week, accused of impeding Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Verb
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As Dubner himself acknowledged in the anniversary foreword, the original book was written without a central thesis tying everything together.
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In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE, Risico says Wilder, who had already killed multiple women, electrically shocked different parts of her body after tying her up in a motel room.
Verb
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The sanctions are hampering work on a broad array of investigations at the court.
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Winds of up to 50 mph stoked the flames and severely limited the fire response by hampering boat and aircraft access to the remote island.
Verb
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Plants are also unbothered by confining pavement and other urban challenges.
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The requirement to add wheels increases costs and can limit where these homes are allowed, due to zoning restrictions, often confining them to mobile home parks.
Verb
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This raises concerns as companies reduce entry-level hiring, hindering the development of crucial tacit knowledge.
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Over the decades the O’odham placed some barbed wire along the border to keep livestock from straying into the neighboring country, limiting the spread of maladies such as foot-and-mouth disease and hindering cattle thieves.
Verb
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In 2019, David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children at their home in California, starving them and providing only a minimal education.
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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.
Verb
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Within Venezuela, activists have accused authorities of obstructing relief efforts.
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The passenger rail service said that eight cars and two locomotives derailed after striking the dump truck that was obstructing the crossing.
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffing. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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