as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
prosecutors were hog-tied as the convicted felon was freed on a technicality
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
their principals' inflexible demands virtually hog-tied the diplomats' efforts to negotiate a peace treaty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hog-tied
Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
Well, for one, the go-to induction method is being roused from your bed in the middle of the night, hog-tied, and tossed in a van.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
Most damning of all is that her body was found hog-tied in a conspicuously similar fashion as Reynolds’ previous presumptive victim, Bunny Davis.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
Well, for one, the go-to induction method is being roused from your bed in the middle of the night, hog-tied, and tossed in a van.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hog-tied
Adjective
-
Operating up top, Hagens fed Gasseau down low on the right side and Gasseau zipped a perfect cross-ice pass to Letourneau, who ripped it past a helpless Muszelik.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Still helpless in the face of her new, ultrapublic life, and at a loss for how to re-center herself and her needs and wants within it, Carolyn has been spending most of her time in the loft.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His ability to hold runners has hampered him.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Jospin never embraced his role as a public figure, hampered by a restrained personality that grew even stiffer in front of cameras.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Carrington said Ny'Leek died of cardiac arrest Thursday, a little more than a year after surviving a hit-and-run that left him paralyzed from the neck down.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The conflict has physically split the energy world into two paralyzed halves.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Industry leaders also say the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route now being impeded by the war, must reopen by mid-April or supply disruptions could worsen significantly.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Patriarchate said that the decision impeded freedom of worship and the status quo in Jerusalem.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
An atmospheric river should track across California, even into southern California, by Tuesday, March 31, but is currently forecast to remain too weak to cause flooding issues, the WPC said.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
-
At the hospital in Dollow, mothers sat shoulder to shoulder on narrow beds holding frail children, some too weak to cry while others let out soft whimpers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Modernizing the agricultural system and the goal of getting land to produce is also hindered by legal limitations.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated March 24,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Efforts have also been hindered by the military’s refusal to provide information about their whereabouts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Former head coach Brian Daboll’s charge to the medical tent and behavior towards one of the Giants’ doctors also embarrassed the team.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Tonight’s ceremony had none of the major dramatic mishaps that have both embarrassed the Academy Awards’ organizers and affirmed the event’s status as must-see live TV.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Key raw materials — like helium used in making computer chips, and sulfur, a raw material in fertilizer — have been obstructed and could be in short supply soon, raising the prices of goods all the way down the supply chain.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
But a few factors complicate his path to the majors, perhaps most notably being obstructed by Bryce Harper at first base.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hog-tied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hog-tied. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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