manacles 1 of 2

noun

plural of manacle
as in irons
something that physically prevents free movement manacles prevented the bear from roaming beyond a very small area

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manacles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of manacle
1
as in binds
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains manacled the prisoner to the wall

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampers
to create difficulty for the work or activity of in this situation, the police are manacled by unnecessary regulations

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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 manacles
Noun
Speaking to Morgan during an interview released on YouTube on Tuesday, British national Yiannopoulos, 41, recounted how his hands and feet were chained together with manacles. — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manacles
  1. bond
  2. binds
  3. hampers
  4. chain
  5. chains
  6. impedes
  7. constraint
  8. handcuffs
Noun
  • According to bond counsel, the amendment excludes the city's older 2018 and 2021 bonds from certain utility rate covenant and parity debt calculations.
    — Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Voters approved $250 million in bonds in 2018 to help build and repair affordable housing, followed by another $350 million in 2022.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of bond
Verb
  • Also, a decision by a federal appeals court binds federal district courts within its jurisdiction—here, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming—and serves as influential precedent elsewhere.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Because microorganisms in water turn regular mercury into methylmercury, a toxic chemical form that binds tightly to fish tissue, the heavy metal accumulates to higher levels in aquatic animals.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of binds
Verb
  • This lushness is truly remarkable on an island known for its volcanic soil, which traditionally hampers plant growth.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This hampers several of my favorite performances, especially Harper, whose Ben is full of sarcastic indignation, and June Laporte as Ginny, an aspiring reporter in need of proper mentoring.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of hampers
Noun
  • The contract covers engineering, technical assistance, technology integration, supply-chain development, workforce training and digital transformation initiatives.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • About 700 French supermarkets were affected, with one chain reporting losses of tens of millions of euros in a day; Dutch stores also faced a separate cybersecurity incident disrupting deliveries.
    — John Leicester, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of chain
Verb
  • Restaurant chains Chipotle and QDOBA pulled jalapeños last week.
    — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of chains
Verb
  • The sheriff said vehicles parked in a way that impedes traffic will be towed at the owner's expense.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Typically, PAs are putting in 60-hour workweeks, and their duties can include everything from running errands to cleaning up messes to managing the general public when filming takes place in a location and impedes foot or car traffic.
    — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of impedes
Noun
  • Some packs retain enough energy storage potential to serve stationary applications, where weight and packaging constraints matter less.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
  • ProteinMPNN selects each amino acid based on a series of constraints.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of constraint
Verb
  • Federal agents were waiting on the tarmac to greet them, handcuffs at the ready.
    — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The state government already handcuffs local municipalities with preemption laws.
    — Oliver Adams Larkin, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026
Definition of handcuffs

Browse Nearby Words

manacled
manacles
manacling
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Cite this Entry

“Manacles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manacles. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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