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
Mikey struggles to keep up with the two Gucci duffels wrapped around his shoulders like a straitjacket.
—
Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
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
But the peace forged at Dayton bound Bosnia in a straitjacket that has kept it divided since.
—Adis Maksić, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
The whole reason the Los Angeles River became a concrete straightjacket was to prevent a repeat of the city's devastating floods in the 1930s.
—Emma Bowman, NPR, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
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
But the peace forged at Dayton bound Bosnia in a straitjacket that has kept it divided since.
—Adis Maksić, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
The whole reason the Los Angeles River became a concrete straightjacket was to prevent a repeat of the city's devastating floods in the 1930s.
—Emma Bowman, NPR, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
-
Tanimoto, as the last living Block 42 resister, carries a singular piece of that history — a controversy and act of resistance within the walls of confinement that illustrated the dilemma faced by people imprisoned by their own country without accusation of a crime.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
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Welty's death is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit against DCS in which family members allege that DCS prematurely closed three of six anonymous complaints brought against Kinsleigh's mother, Toni McClure, who has since been charged with murder and criminal confinement.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood on the Saturday before Halloween, officers arrested a man and triggered a chain of events that ended with them shoving a father in a yellow duck costume to the ground and breaking the ribs of a 67-year-old resident.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
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The driver of a northbound vehicle veered into the southbound lanes, hitting one car head-on and causing a chain-reaction crash, authorities said.—
Amy McDaniel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
True School Freedom Act empowers parents with universal choice—no zip code traps.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
-
If the federal government insists on misusing courts as traps rather than the place where disputes are legally hashed out, then our justice system needs to find safe ways for people to appear.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
So named for Kate Hudson’s character in Almost Famous, the Penny Lane coat often has light or dark brown suede fabric, but its most defining characteristic is the fur (faux, hopefully) around the collar, cuffs, and hem.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
14 Feb. 2026
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Instead, Elordi’s Heathcliff collars and chains Oliver’s Isabella herself, instructing her to bark like a dog.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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