1
as in chain
usually manacles plural
something that physically prevents free movement
manacles prevented the bear from roaming beyond a very small area
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the warring groups need to shake off the manacle of their troubled past and learn to live with one another in peace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bind
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
manacled the prisoner to the wall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to hamper
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
in this situation, the police are manacled by unnecessary regulations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of manacle
Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024
During the trial, Wilber wore a manacle around his ankle and a stun belt on his arm.
—Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2022
Brown turned Milwaukee’s defense from manacle to meme.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2022
How to Be an Antiracist is a journal of Kendi's efforts to free himself of the ideological manacles clamped upon him by a society suffused with white supremacism, capitalist exploitation, misogyny and the repression of unconventional sexuality.
—Dallas News, 26 Aug. 2019
From every officer’s belt there dangled an insectlike furl of disposable plastic manacles.
—Caleb Crain, Harper's magazine, 22 July 2019
The genie is literally the slave of the lamp, his power bracelets actually manacles keeping him obedient to an endless round of masters.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 12 June 2019
The cellar dungeons were complete with bolts, chains and manacles for securing captives to the floors.
—Jonathan W. White, Smithsonian, 27 Feb. 2018
Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
And single file and manacled is exactly how 238 Venezuelans were frog-marched into El Salvador’s prisons last March, expelled from the U.S. without trial.
—Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Drugged, kidnapped, and manacled while a pitiless killer wears her face.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 11 July 2024
Rubio hammered home his argument that there’s no daylight between Cuba’s lack of justice and Trump’s own trial, with a video featuring a military official manacled and brought before a crowd of more than 15,000 in the Havana Sports Palace arena.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2024
The scandal is that, instead of doing his duty, the attorney general manacled his own Justice Department’s investigation.
—The Editors, National Review, 21 July 2023
His hands were manacled to a chain belt at his waist, and his feet were bound by leg irons.
—Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 4 Dec. 2019
During those endless days and nights, everything was done to break his will: solitary confinement, pressure to confess by cruel supervisors and the humiliation of being manacled while receiving medical attention.
—Ariel Dorfman, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2018
Noun
Beneath it, on the left side of the page, was a picture of Jackson in manacles.
—Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024
During the trial, Wilber wore a manacle around his ankle and a stun belt on his arm.
—Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2022
Brown turned Milwaukee’s defense from manacle to meme.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2022
How to Be an Antiracist is a journal of Kendi's efforts to free himself of the ideological manacles clamped upon him by a society suffused with white supremacism, capitalist exploitation, misogyny and the repression of unconventional sexuality.
—Dallas News, 26 Aug. 2019
From every officer’s belt there dangled an insectlike furl of disposable plastic manacles.
—Caleb Crain, Harper's magazine, 22 July 2019
The genie is literally the slave of the lamp, his power bracelets actually manacles keeping him obedient to an endless round of masters.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 12 June 2019
The cellar dungeons were complete with bolts, chains and manacles for securing captives to the floors.
—Jonathan W. White, Smithsonian, 27 Feb. 2018
Verb
King appeared in a gray and white, striped prison suit, with his hands manacled at his waist.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
And single file and manacled is exactly how 238 Venezuelans were frog-marched into El Salvador’s prisons last March, expelled from the U.S. without trial.
—Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Drugged, kidnapped, and manacled while a pitiless killer wears her face.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 11 July 2024
Rubio hammered home his argument that there’s no daylight between Cuba’s lack of justice and Trump’s own trial, with a video featuring a military official manacled and brought before a crowd of more than 15,000 in the Havana Sports Palace arena.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2024
The scandal is that, instead of doing his duty, the attorney general manacled his own Justice Department’s investigation.
—The Editors, National Review, 21 July 2023
His hands were manacled to a chain belt at his waist, and his feet were bound by leg irons.
—Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 4 Dec. 2019
During those endless days and nights, everything was done to break his will: solitary confinement, pressure to confess by cruel supervisors and the humiliation of being manacled while receiving medical attention.
—Ariel Dorfman, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manacle
Noun
-
Food and drink Though many larger chain hotels often defer to European cuisine to be indicative of high culture, SEA wisely does the opposite.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Mar. 2026
-
This includes key chokepoints like the Miyako Strait, Tokara Strait, and the Okinawa island chain.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
At full height, the ship has an air draft of about 328 feet, but the tilting system enables the masts to lower when necessary, allowing the vessel to pass beneath bridges or other obstacles along its route, The Maritime Executive writes.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
They were bound to drop the bola at some point.—
E.R. Pulgar,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Plus, because Dimorphos is gravitationally bound to Didymos, the DART impact could not inadvertently knock it towards Earth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
-
When Cross-Goldenberg asked if the speedy trial violation that tanked the state case had to do with a reluctant witness, Reid said the case was hampered by a problem with the discovery process, since state prosecutors didn’t hand over material to the defense in a timely fashion.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Higher rates tend to increase the relative appeal of yielding assets such as government bonds versus non-yielding precious metals like gold.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Those that remained developed a bond and the fans came out in droves to SMU’s home court.—
Cody Thorn,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Revenue sharing will be the biggest hurdle to get over.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Obtaining a passport in time for a looming voter registration deadline is another potential hurdle.—
Julie Carr Smyth,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Teruaki Sato hit a game-tying RBI double before Shota Morishita, who entered the game as an injury replacement for Seiya Suziki, belted a three-run home run to give Japan a 5-2 lead.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
-
During an interview on the 2026 SAG Actor Awards red carpet, Law Roach—Zendaya’s longtime image architect—suggested to a reporter that Zendaya and Tom Holland had tied the knot.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trump urged Democrats to reopen DHS because the partial shutdown hinders the government’s ability to combat terrorists.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
-
In fairness, the Jayhawks’ offense and overall explosiveness may have been hindered by the Big 12’s glass court, with players and coaches from many teams complaining about the footing throughout the event.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manacle. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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