as in bind
something that physically prevents free movement
the man reluctantly held out his wrists so the policeman could snap on handcuffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in binds
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampers
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 handcuffs
Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 19 June 2026
The man in brown pants is later seen in handcuffs and being led away while screaming at someone.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Padilla attended and stepped forward to ask a question of Noem before being physically removed from the room and placed in handcuffs.
—Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026
In the demo, I was treated to a cutscene of my character breaking their handcuffs and swimming ashore to the town of Ashenridge.
—Jacqueline Goldblatt, PC Magazine, 13 June 2026
For the second time in a week, the same NFL player was placed in handcuffs.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Liberto allegedly threatened the victim with a knife to put on a pair of handcuffs that were in the car.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Videos taken at the event appear to show officers pinning youth down, with one young person placed in handcuffs and young people milling around the carnival area of the annual festival.
—Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2026
After court officers led Santos out of the courtroom in handcuffs, the Chinatown activist, Karlin Chan, said the sentencing gives the community closure.
—ABC News, 28 May 2026
Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2026
The officer again tells Timberlake to turn around and handcuffs him.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Placing the franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts severely handcuffs what the Falcons can do this offseason.
—Omar Kelly
march 8, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
While state law seemingly handcuffs local officials into approving solar projects, Richmond said residents and board members need to work together to fight solar power plants.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
At the crash site, some of the rescuers find Morrow, who holds them at gunpoint and handcuffs them together in the lab.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 12 Aug. 2025
Noun
The bail agents then got the man into handcuffs.
—Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 19 June 2026
The man in brown pants is later seen in handcuffs and being led away while screaming at someone.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Padilla attended and stepped forward to ask a question of Noem before being physically removed from the room and placed in handcuffs.
—Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026
In the demo, I was treated to a cutscene of my character breaking their handcuffs and swimming ashore to the town of Ashenridge.
—Jacqueline Goldblatt, PC Magazine, 13 June 2026
For the second time in a week, the same NFL player was placed in handcuffs.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Liberto allegedly threatened the victim with a knife to put on a pair of handcuffs that were in the car.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Videos taken at the event appear to show officers pinning youth down, with one young person placed in handcuffs and young people milling around the carnival area of the annual festival.
—Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2026
After court officers led Santos out of the courtroom in handcuffs, the Chinatown activist, Karlin Chan, said the sentencing gives the community closure.
—ABC News, 28 May 2026
Verb
For example, Stevens said, a department could create a policy that if an officer chases down and handcuffs a suspect — an inherently tense situation — a different officer would be responsible for transporting and booking the suspect, eliminating further contact with the first officer.
—Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2026
The officer again tells Timberlake to turn around and handcuffs him.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Placing the franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts severely handcuffs what the Falcons can do this offseason.
—Omar Kelly
march 8, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
While state law seemingly handcuffs local officials into approving solar projects, Richmond said residents and board members need to work together to fight solar power plants.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
At the crash site, some of the rescuers find Morrow, who holds them at gunpoint and handcuffs them together in the lab.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffs
Noun
-
The polyphenols and tannins in coffee bind to iron in the digestive tract and block it from being absorbed.—
Allison Palmer
Updated June 13,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
-
Boston Bruins The Bruins are stuck in somewhat of a bind.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Phytic acid binds directly to HDAC3 and turns on its activity.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
-
Schneider said the memorandum apparently binds the United States, Iran and their allies but makes no mention of nonstate actors Iran supports like Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
15 June 2026
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
The chain retailer also has locations at Arden Fair and Westfield Galleria at Roseville.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
21 June 2026
-
The Viva Wyndham Dominicus Palace, part of the same chain, did not sustain any damage.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
To address this, Ivo uses a multi-step pipeline that chains together more than 400 model calls for each contract review.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Tokyo Central is owned by Japanese company Pan Pacific Retail Management, which also runs the grocery chains Gelson’s and Don Quijote.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
This is due, in large part, to expectations of a strong El Niño, which traditionally hinders storm development.—
Robin Webb,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
-
Our systems are overly complex, spanning hundreds of dependencies, which hinders our ability to move fast.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
But its enduring appeal was in the bonds between the characters, Docter said.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
When demand falls, bond yields rise.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
And while average state surpluses over the past decade have surpassed that number many times over, Connecticut’s budget is subject to a spending cap that ties its own growth to household income and inflation.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
19 June 2026
-
The phrase ties together themes found throughout the wall, including music, celebration and community.—
J.M. Banks
June 18,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handcuffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffs. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
