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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of straitjacket
These wires cross on her stunning fourth album, Lux, whose artwork depicts the 33-year-old singer in a white nun’s habit and a straitjacket-ish top.
—
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Sometimes, Germayne Cunningham would tie Sanaa up using one of his large t-shirts as a makeshift straitjacket, Clark added.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Some plaintiffs allege they were restrained in straitjackets for as long as 16 hours.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
For de Lagarde, just as Jewish law distracted from God’s grace, liberalism was a legal straitjacket that kept the German nation from expressing its true spirit.
—Daniel May, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Sometimes, Germayne Cunningham would tie Sanaa up using one of his large t-shirts as a makeshift straitjacket, Clark added.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Some plaintiffs allege they were restrained in straitjackets for as long as 16 hours.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
For de Lagarde, just as Jewish law distracted from God’s grace, liberalism was a legal straitjacket that kept the German nation from expressing its true spirit.
—Daniel May, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
-
Those are federal requests to local law enforcement to detain individuals for up to 48 hours after they're set to be released from criminal confinement — which gives ICE time to decide whether to take them into custody to begin deportation proceedings.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Her daughters are struggling with the confinement.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The chain, of course, is known for its 24/7 operating capacity.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
25 Jan. 2026
-
All available buses will be outfitted with chains on their tires, but articulated ones will be removed from service for safety reasons.—
January 25,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Some people even shared old photos of Indigenous peoples wearing the hoods, noting that the originators of the design kept the fur outward to break cold wind and trap snow.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
At one point, a trap even caught the wrong bear.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Ailes grew up in the blue-collar town of Warren, Ohio, where his father worked in a Packard Electric factory.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
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Ensure your pet has an up-to-date microchip or collar ID and keep them leashed at all times.—
Riley Rourke,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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