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
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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
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
-
People eventually outgrow the helpless-baby stage.—
Anna Louie Sussman,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Without money and without a means to earn it, women are helpless to determine the course of their own lives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This isn’t the first time injuries have hampered Norfleet.—
Chase Gemes,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
-
All of these issues combined have left Target with a workforce that has grown faster than sales and a complex corporate structure that has hampered decision-making and created needless red tape.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Annie Palmer,Frank Holland,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In a heartbreaking video, a partially paralyzed dog is caught twitching his paws in his sleep, and internet users can’t stop sobbing.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
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After suddenly losing her voice in November 2022, Williams-Paisley was later diagnosed with a partially paralyzed vocal cord.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But San Francisco’s star running back impeded Lake enough for Jones to make the throw.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Simmons’ financial liabilities don’t seem to have impeded his movements.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Western countries could exploit weak points in supply chains for many of Russia's advanced fighter jets, including by tightening up sanctions as Ukraine strikes Russia's industrial facilities, according to a new report.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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Respiratory difficulty, constipation, poor feeding, drooping eyelids and a weak and altered cry are among the symptoms of infant botulism.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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When pirating hindered the shipping of gold to Lisbon, Paraty pivoted to farming sugarcane (the basis of cachaça) and later became one of the earliest hubs for coffee growing in a country that is still the globe’s largest exporter of beans.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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At an October debate, Bowman tried to portray Pureval as soft on crime and alleged that unspecified initiatives from City Hall had hindered police from doing their jobs.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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French authorities have arrested several suspects after a frantic manhunt for the men who staged a spectacular daytime heist at the Louvre museum that gripped the world and embarrassed the government in Paris.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
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The Revolution provided a brief scare through a 59th-minute goal from Dor Turgeman, who embarrassed a defender before curling home a spectacular effort, but Inter Miami broke the tie almost immediately after the strike that made the score 2-1.—
Franco Panizo,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sebastian was intubated because the swelling from the burns obstructed his airway, reducing his ability to breathe normally, Reynoso added.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
6 Nov. 2025
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But the house, originally built in the 1960s, felt clunky thanks to a massive fireplace that obstructed views and odd layouts with far too many twists and turns.—
Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar,
Architectural Digest,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hog-tied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hog-tied. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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