variants
also straightjacket
as in confinement
a jacket that has long arms which can be tied together behind someone's back and that is used to control the movement (as of a violent prisoner or patient)
The magician struggled to free his arms from the straitjacket and escape from the tank of water he was submerged in.
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Recent Examples of straitjacket
Burns becomes a foil and the butt of jokes of other doctors at the M*A*S*H unit until he is literally driven into a straitjacket.
—
David Morgan, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Revenue concerns compared to their direct rivals can be offset by getting back into the Champions League, enabling the club to loosen the financial straitjacket and spend on the players Emery wants, regardless of their age.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The first three weeks saw an 8-year-old aerialist, a 74-year-old comedian, a laser-performing duo from Vietnam and a Las Vegas magician who hung from the ceiling in a straitjacket.
—Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Known for its aggressive high-top design, the Air Max2 CB 94’s key features include elastic straps on the tongue said to be inspired by straightjackets, a nod to Barkley’s volatile reputation in the ‘90s.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
David Morgan, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Revenue concerns compared to their direct rivals can be offset by getting back into the Champions League, enabling the club to loosen the financial straitjacket and spend on the players Emery wants, regardless of their age.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The first three weeks saw an 8-year-old aerialist, a 74-year-old comedian, a laser-performing duo from Vietnam and a Las Vegas magician who hung from the ceiling in a straitjacket.
—Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Known for its aggressive high-top design, the Air Max2 CB 94’s key features include elastic straps on the tongue said to be inspired by straightjackets, a nod to Barkley’s volatile reputation in the ‘90s.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
-
Suhail pleaded not guilty on Wednesday and was released on $5 million bond, ordered to remain on home confinement.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Colette, Mark Twain, and William Wordsworth all wrote habitually from bed, for reasons having to do with infirmity, comfort, and warding off distraction; Frida Kahlo painted self-portraits from bed, including the dreams that transcended her physical confinement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
An aspiring author had sent Hoover their manuscript, also copying a fraudulent email impersonating Hoover on the email chain.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That means following the full chain of activity — from those who target homeowners to anyone inside the system who may be enabling or overlooking fraudulent transfers.—
Darlene Mealy,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Effective vole control includes keeping grass mowed, minimizing mulch, using traps, and protecting young trees with hardware cloth tubes.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The missile site is where Cove and Dixon’s fellow biologists have used camera traps to film pythons preying on the endangered species, which have much lower reproduction rates than the invasive Asian black rats common to Florida.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Rodriguez, who hails from the blue collar city of Wichita Falls, Texas, and spent the past four years in the hardworking city of Lubbock, Texas, finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In 1896, a horse named Ben Brush was given a collar of white and pink roses for winning.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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