as in bind
usually handcuffs plural
something that physically prevents free movement
the man reluctantly held out his wrists so the policeman could snap on handcuffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to bind
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
wanted to take the trip, but was handcuffed by her responsibility to watch her ailing father
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to impede
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the fear that the new mandatory, standardized tests will handcuff the state's teachers, who will have to specifically tailor their lesson plans for the test
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of handcuff
Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
Royals’ video documents the moments after their initial contact, with Hardy in handcuffs.
—Nathan Pilling
updated July 11, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025
Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Officials were able to extinguish the flames and handcuff the suspect, identified as Adam Lopez, 39.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for handcuff
Noun
One officer took the 13-year-old to the ground and he was placed in handcuffs.
—Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
Royals’ video documents the moments after their initial contact, with Hardy in handcuffs.
—Nathan Pilling
updated July 11, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025
Verb
Shafir was handcuffed to the timekeepers table by Prince Nana.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Officials were able to extinguish the flames and handcuff the suspect, identified as Adam Lopez, 39.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for handcuff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuff
Noun
-
While the injury puts the Giants in a bind, manager Bob Melvin told reporters the Giants consider the injury to be minor.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
25 July 2025
-
Such actions — done in the name of good governance and often with significant support from voters — are now leaving Democrats in a bind.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
Often, that type of production on a bad team (which the Sixers were at the time due to a plethora of injuries) would be tied to middling efficiency, but that wasn't the case with Grimes.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
Two tight ends, Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and Jimmy Graham, are tied for third with 74.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
Verb
-
Age Debt strains an organization’s resources, stifles innovation, and impedes growth.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
Habba's office charged McIver with two counts of assaulting and impeding a law enforcement officer.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
According to Melanie Abeyta, an aesthetic nurse practitioner, longevity expert and owner of Harmony Aesthetics Center in Los Angeles, peptide injections involve the administration of short chains of amino acids, known as peptides, typically injected into the subcutaneous fat.—
Taylor Lane,
Flow Space,
1 Aug. 2025
-
The Hustle reached out to some longtime independent swim school operators who hold board positions with the US Swim School Association to ask for their opinions on the influx of chains like Goldfish and others.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
28 July 2025
-
So while the player got a dream move to one of Europe’s top leagues and RSL got what felt like good value, a once-promising push to win hardware was undeniably hampered.—
Jeff Rueter,
New York Times,
28 July 2025
Verb
-
Leading Through Change And Crisis There's no doubt leadership fatigue toward managing culture can erode an organization’s sense of identity, hinder growth and breed disengagement.—
Dave Barnett,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
-
Hayes and the unnamed person were also charged with hindering prosecution in the first degree, according to court documents.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
30 July 2025
Verb
-
From there, the judge was driven about a mile to the federal courthouse on East Wisconsin Avenue, where U.S. Marshals shackled her ankles and put her in a holding cell, the sources said.—
Cary Spivak,
jsonline.com,
3 July 2025
-
Eaves, 49, walked into court on April 4, shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit alongside other defendants awaiting their arraignments.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
3 July 2025
Verb
-
Look, the Yankees didn’t embarrass themselves in a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Monday night.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
-
In the aftermath, the mother was angry for a week, accusing him of undermining her authority and embarrassing her in front of their social circle.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handcuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuff. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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