1
as in chain
something that physically prevents free movement
placed shackles on the legs of the prisoners
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in embarrassment
shackles plural
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the shackles of illiteracy can be just as confining as leg irons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bind
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
unwilling to shackle the dogs to the wall of the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to hinder
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
shackled by poverty and ignorance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shackle
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
Many, unsurprisingly, led difficult lives not easily bound by the shackles of convention.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Many of the men were beheaded and women captured; Umar ibn Sa’d marched the spiked heads and shackled women through various towns on the way back to Caliph Yazid in Damascus to deter further protest.
—Mary Thurlkill, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shackle
Noun
Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, appeared in a yellow jail uniform with a waist shackle and entered the plea through her public defender.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
Many, unsurprisingly, led difficult lives not easily bound by the shackles of convention.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
Last week, before the court recessed for Easter, John briefly took the stand, legs and hands shackled and dressed in a khaki-colored prison uniform.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Many of the men were beheaded and women captured; Umar ibn Sa’d marched the spiked heads and shackled women through various towns on the way back to Caliph Yazid in Damascus to deter further protest.
—Mary Thurlkill, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shackle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shackle
Noun
-
The remote chain of more than 60 islands off the tip of India, south of the Maldives, has been under British control since 1814.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Some tribes, including the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma and Oneida Indian Nation in New York, have their own store chains.—
Mead Gruver,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The nonprofit Bike New York offers free instruction and groups everyone by age to avoid embarrassment.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
16 Apr. 2026
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When appealing to a congressional answering machine fails, perhaps public embarrassment is the most effective lever to pull.—
Paula Mejía,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Whispers about sleazy behavior generally do not meet the coverage threshold for traditional newsrooms, which are bound by strict ethical standards.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Give families a challenge process that is transparent, time-bound and subject to appeal.—
Jacob Crainic,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Moving forward, lawmakers should identify aspects of recent reforms that are hindering their intended purpose of increasing housing, while continuing to advance land-use liberalization across the state.—
Eliza Terziev,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
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Since October of last year, the agency has lost more than 1,500 agents, and these unfilled positions have severely hindered operational capacity at a critical moment.—
La'Tasha Givens,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Her look was completed with a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, a Bulgari ring, a Bulgari bracelet, a Deco bracelet and a diamond bracelet.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
-
This bracelet makes an excellent Mother’s Day jewelry gift.—
Brigitt Earley,
Glamour,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the end, the deepest release isn’t about getting a medical tag, but rather about understanding why those unrelenting obstacles continued to exist.—
Lucy Jones
April 11,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Because Anna and Matteo were never actually together, her clear attraction with Michael doesn’t face any meaningful obstacles, aside from some obligatory (and weakly justified) initial sniping between the two leads.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His two-out, two-run double off Bryan Baker gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the eighth but Tampa Bay tied the score in the bottom half when Nick Fortes doubled leading off against Max Fried and scored on Yandy Díaz’s infield hit, a high-hopper to first baseman Ben Rice.—
Kristie Ackert,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Apr. 2026
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His father was the fourth generation in a long line of gentlemen ranchers—weekend cowboys who’d made their fortune in Austin as attorneys for large oil companies, but whose identity was still tied to the thousands of acres that the family owned near Marfa.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The 23-year-old was also sentenced to an additional year in prison for assaulting, resisting and impeding federal officers.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2026
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Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez faced more than 20 years in prison because of a felony assault, resist and impede case before it was dropped last month.—
Ryan Oehrli
April 16,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shackle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shackle. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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