as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
students and parents who want to throw off the trammels of outdated school policies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bind
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
years after his death, she was still trammeled by inconsolable grief for her deceased husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to impede
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the new paperwork requirements will only trammel us and lower our productivity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 trammel
Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Step 2: Measure and Cut Cubby Dividers Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2024
Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 July 2022
Join the top and drop leaf; then use a large trammel to mark the curved edge.
—Thomas Klenck, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2021
Make a trammel, or beam compass, that pivots on a 3⁄8-in.
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2021
Build the trammel out of 1⁄2-in.-thick plywood, mount the router on one end and install a straight bit.
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2021
Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Diggs was trammeled by knee issues throughout 2023 as the 26-year-old was sidelined for 15 games after tearing his left ACL.
—Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
The Founders gave an independent judiciary the responsibility of preventing the other branches from trammeling fundamental liberties of citizens.
—oregonlive, 23 Jan. 2020
The Patriots defense, which is on pace to break NFL records for most sacks and fewest points allowed, has trammeled and trampled opposing offenses, but the schedule keeps serving up red meat or raw quarterbacks for them to prey upon.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 Oct. 2019
Now the area is brimming with new construction, and Ms. Medvedow, 63, is leading her institution into another less-trammeled area.
—New York Times, 22 June 2018
Those federal laws, along with state and local equivalents, provide broad and effective remedies for unequal pay without trammeling the hiring process.
—Gerald Skoning, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2017
When applied to armed protests, that mindset takes our country to a dangerous place: The Second Amendment and state open carry laws cannot trammel the free speech rights of unarmed protesters and the necessity for law enforcement to keep the peace.
—Olivia Li, Slate Magazine, 17 Oct. 2017
Noun
The moment comes right before America Ferrera’s big monologue about the trammels of womanhood, when Robbie soliloquizes, too, about the loss of her self-esteem.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Step 2: Measure and Cut Cubby Dividers Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2024
Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 July 2022
Join the top and drop leaf; then use a large trammel to mark the curved edge.
—Thomas Klenck, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2021
Make a trammel, or beam compass, that pivots on a 3⁄8-in.
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2021
Build the trammel out of 1⁄2-in.-thick plywood, mount the router on one end and install a straight bit.
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2021
Verb
Children arrive into a trammeling grid of haves and have-nots set up long before their birth, a net that individual struggles serve only to tighten.
—Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Diggs was trammeled by knee issues throughout 2023 as the 26-year-old was sidelined for 15 games after tearing his left ACL.
—Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
The Founders gave an independent judiciary the responsibility of preventing the other branches from trammeling fundamental liberties of citizens.
—oregonlive, 23 Jan. 2020
The Patriots defense, which is on pace to break NFL records for most sacks and fewest points allowed, has trammeled and trampled opposing offenses, but the schedule keeps serving up red meat or raw quarterbacks for them to prey upon.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 Oct. 2019
Now the area is brimming with new construction, and Ms. Medvedow, 63, is leading her institution into another less-trammeled area.
—New York Times, 22 June 2018
Those federal laws, along with state and local equivalents, provide broad and effective remedies for unequal pay without trammeling the hiring process.
—Gerald Skoning, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2017
When applied to armed protests, that mindset takes our country to a dangerous place: The Second Amendment and state open carry laws cannot trammel the free speech rights of unarmed protesters and the necessity for law enforcement to keep the peace.
—Olivia Li, Slate Magazine, 17 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trammel
Noun
-
Players utilize a set of common rules -- that can be altered by the game master -- and dice to overcome obstacles as the group works to collaboratively tell a story.—
Remington Miller,
Arkansas Online,
16 May 2025
-
Apparently not: whatever obstacles there may have been before, the original group will be performing together for the first time in three and a half decades this weekend, at the behest of Goldenvoice, for the promoter’s annual Cruel World festival in Pasadena.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
Post yourself up at hotels like The Carlyle or The Mark, and you’re bound to catch a glimpse of one of your favorite singers or actors.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
4 May 2025
-
The spacecraft was bound for Venus, but an issue with a timer cut an engine burn prematurely, which ultimately left the spacecraft stuck in Earth’s orbit.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
3 May 2025
Verb
-
On April 16, the Department of Homeland Security threatened to impede Harvard’s ability to enroll students from abroad – an unprecedented move that would devastate the campus if the White House moved forward with it.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
-
She has been charged with concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
Noun
-
Federal prosecutors charged Dugan in April with obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest.—
Todd Richmond,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
-
The Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s aggressive use of the obstruction charges.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
The Waters/Agassi partnership ground out rallies but the teenagers persevered and tied the match.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
-
But in the third period, Colorado gained steam from Nichushkin to tie it, then Nathan MacKinnon to pull ahead.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Verb
-
Scientists believe early exposure to this content may hinder children's understanding of consent and respect in relationships.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 May 2025
-
The Transport Workers Union argued the petition would hinder safety.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
1 May 2025
Noun
-
Despite the logistical hurdles, the experience left a profound impact on the actor.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
13 May 2025
-
The impact of the legislative hurdles is being felt at the construction site.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
No longer confined to the pursuit of profit alone, these powerful forces are being reimagined as instruments of global healing, capable of restoring trust, dignity and interconnectedness across all sectors.—
Yujia Zhu,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
-
Dempsey was sent to live with a distant city counselor and grew up to work in data entry, confined to her apartment computer.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trammel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trammel. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share