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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffing
Verb
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The Department's interpretation has no basis in the Title IX regulations and is not supported by any binding court decision.—
Olivia Young,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The contract said any decision made in arbitration was binding.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The indictment includes the conspiracy count, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in federal prison, as well as several other counts of forcibly impeding a federal officer, each punishable by up to one year in federal prison.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
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Bridges on the trail include porches so visitors can pause and admire views without impeding others passing through.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Leonard and Murphy traded baskets in the final 10 seconds before halftime, with Murphy tying it at 60 on a high, driving floater in traffic.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Bruins star winger David Pastrnak extended his point streak against Montreal to 14 games, tying Bobby Orr for the longest by a Bruins player against the Canadiens.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But then the team lost Kevin Fiala for the rest of the season to a fractured leg in the Olympic tournament and saw winger Andrei Kuzmenko undergo surgery last week to repair torn meniscus in his right knee, hampering an offense that ranks 28th in the 32-team league in goals.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Public frustration over the district’s academic performance reached a boiling point in August 2024, when Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker spoke at a school board meeting, saying the district’s poor performance was hampering students’ opportunities after high school.—
Silas Allen,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The requirement to add wheels adds costs and can limit where these homes are allowed, often confining them to mobile home parks under local zoning rules.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Kaine stressed that Democrats want to fund the other agencies at DHS, while confining the ongoing negotiations to the immigration enforcement agencies.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, tariff threats from the US — Nigeria’s third-largest export market — and inflationary pressures caused by the war in Iran risk hindering that progress.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
-
High new housing inventory, together with elevated construction costs because of import tariffs and shortages of labor due to an immigration crackdown are hindering single-family home construction.—
Reuters
Wire Service,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 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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At the time, the Department of Homeland Security said Rahman was arrested for obstructing federal officers.—
Chloe Rosen,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Jennings was charged obstructing a government operation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffing. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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