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 Forced to walk around, and even sleep, in a steel straightjacket with his neck permanently raised high, the once carefree Christophe begins to shut down to both his classmates and family. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
  • Alas, Hersh was to miss the flight because he was still being held hostage, starving, tortured, and surviving on that date in terrifying confinement.
    — Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Diamantis’ lawyer had asked for a period of home confinement.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Contract pharmacies grew from roughly 1,300 in 2010 to more than 31,000 by mid-2026, dominated by the largest chains.
    — Casey B. Mulligan, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Not only are those objectively terrible ideas, but chains of title put guardrails on what studios can do with many iconic characters.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Dead roaches were observed inside a glue trap on the floor next to a beer keg.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • New England beat Buffalo so the public isn't exactly fading the Patriots, but this still feels like a bit of a trap line to me.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • That includes bolstering blue collar work in manufacturing, natural resources, and supporting small businesses.
    — Saige Miller, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The public intellectual of the future won’t be wearing tweed or a button-down collar—the new uniform involves a coach’s headset, or the pancake makeup from the greenroom of some sports network.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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