1
as in tying
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
The sight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents handcuffing and chaining the wrists, waists and ankles of skilled technicians shocked South Koreans.
—
Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
The deputy saw the interaction and decided to investigate, handcuffing the girl in the process.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 30 Aug. 2025
The video shows deputies handcuffing him and escorting him to a vehicle, at which point the handcuffs are removed from his wrists.
—Chris Spargo, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
In the Wednesday episode, first reported by Gothamist and captured on video, a DHS officer is seen handcuffing an aide, who is crying.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 2 June 2025
Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
The deputy saw the interaction and decided to investigate, handcuffing the girl in the process.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 30 Aug. 2025
The video shows deputies handcuffing him and escorting him to a vehicle, at which point the handcuffs are removed from his wrists.
—Chris Spargo, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
In the Wednesday episode, first reported by Gothamist and captured on video, a DHS officer is seen handcuffing an aide, who is crying.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 2 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffing
Verb
-
Ramón Laureano got Machado home and Sheets to third on a groundout, and a walk by Merrill brought O’Hearn to the plate as the potential tying run.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
-
These tastings double as an informal history lesson, tying together cuisine, culture and everyday life.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some conservatives have pushed for green card holders like Öztürk or Mahmoud Khalil, who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, to face deportation, sparking criticism from free speech advocates who view those calls as impeding on their First Amendment rights.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was issued a red card in the 38th minute for impeding Charlotte’s Wilfried Zaha in the box.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
With few credible projects elsewhere, and with legal and political battles still hampering California, the outlook isn’t good.—
Ben Jones,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Since Ruben Amorim’s arrival at Manchester United 10 months ago, the team’s struggles to score goals have been hampering them.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
With no binding regulatory framework in place, taxpayers must continue to rely on case law, examining a series of factors applied by the courts to determine whether an instrument is debt or equity.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The tribe’s most recent binding pact from 1863, which preexists the federal law that regulates mining of public lands, guarantees its members exclusive use of the area to fish, hunt, gather and graze animals.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The share of businesses saying that lack of transparency was hindering operations fell by 12 percentage points to 16%.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
-
This can lead to a sense of helplessness and fear, hindering creativity and collaboration.—
Kotter,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As part of the plea deal, additional charges of assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and resisting or obstructing a peace officer were dismissed, according to court records.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Ultimately, North was found guilty of destroying official documents, accepting a home security system as a gift and obstructing Congress in 1989.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The sight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents handcuffing and chaining the wrists, waists and ankles of skilled technicians shocked South Koreans.—
Anthony Kuhn,
NPR,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Despite the fact that not all of its facilities were complete, Natcast had plans to proceed with research by chaining together existing infrastructure around the country.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The mother, being a mother, finds fault and has embarrassing politics.—
Nathaniel Moore
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
-
On top of that already embarrassing history, Ravens longtime head coach John Harbaugh has made some unfortunate NFL history of his own.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffing. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share