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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
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
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
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
-
Harpman, who died in 2012, was a psychoanalyst, and her writing is attuned to the psychic damage caused by confinement.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Chavez, who once ran a ketamine clinic, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and was sentenced to eight months home confinement in December 2025.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Her dad was the credit manager for a local chain of appliance stores, a second-generation Jewish immigrant, and a lifelong Republican.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Teel is the grandson of Raley’s founder Tom Raley, and was hired at the grocery chain in 1976, after college.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
What the trap revealed, aside from being the first of its kind to be discovered in picturesque surroundings, was a terrible ordeal for whale and human alike.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Inspectors found a dead rodent on an at-home sticky trap and noted that the back area smelled of rodent urine.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The super-soft, breathable material molds to your foot while the collar is designed to rest on top of your skin loosely, without that tight, digging-in feeling.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
If the canary wouldn’t sing, if the milkman was late, if the Pekingese had fleas, if an old coot in a starched collar had a heart attack on the way to church, that was the smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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