straitjacket

variants also straightjacket
Definition of straitjacketnext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of straitjacket The icy straitjacket that kept the rocks from collapsing was no longer there. Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 May 2026 In any other administration, straitjackets would be the mandatory dress code. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026 First Man, the Neil Armstrong biopic that is Chazelle’s second collaboration with Gosling, feels like watching Gosling act his way out of a straitjacket. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026 Pierce wiggled, jumped, twisted, pulled, huffed and puffed his way out of that straitjacket, taking a little bow at the end. Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
  • Precision engineering for plasma confinement The inner steel hull blocks heat transfer, which protects external superconducting magnets that operate near absolute zero.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 23 July 2026
  • Court documents do not make clear what treatment, if any, Henrichsen received during his confinement.
    Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026
Noun
  • Purchases allegedly made by Burke under aliases also included cadaver bags, heavy-duty laundry bags, chain saws, a shovel and a fireproof mat, Byers testified.
    Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026
  • The Kansas City-area chain had operated for 33 years before announcing its closure.
    Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • But their journey to catch up with the Rivermen proves increasingly difficult, after one of their horses gets caught in a trap.
    Matt Minton, Variety, 20 July 2026
  • Hamilton, minding his own business, had nowhere to go, and Russell clipped him and then spun into the gravel trap.
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026
Noun
  • In that dual-collar setup, the Ultra handles off-grid GPS and Callback, while the other Fi tracker adds activity, afternoon naps, and behavior tracking.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 July 2026
  • Olivia Wilde plays the swaggering multidisciplinary artist Erika Tracy, whose portfolio includes a pointillist vulva composed of chewed gum, an audio loop of her own orgasm, and an enormous, Claes Oldenburg-esque sculpture of a spiked fetish collar.
    Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 26 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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