straitjacket

variants also straightjacket
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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Thompson, who some Rockets officials privately predict could become as dynamic and dominant as any of their young talents, put Curry in the proverbial straitjacket. Anthony Slater, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 Think fuzzy bunny costumes with long floppy ears, dramatic eyeshadow, tops made from repurposed straitjackets, and so on. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025 Multiple lawsuits on behalf of African asylum-seekers concern the use of one such item, known as the Wrap, a cross between a straitjacket and a sleeping bag. Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 1 Apr. 2025 One man told her about a young immigrant from Bulgaria who’d been working here but had seemed to go crazy a few weeks earlier; the worker was removed from the plant in a straitjacket and later died. Daniel Stone, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
  • Nice wasn't able to get in to see Gomes da Silva until the fifth day of his confinement.
    Ben Adler, USA Today, 7 June 2025
  • In their sentencing filing Friday, Madigan’s attorneys asked U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey for a period of probation with some home confinement, citing Madigan’s age, his long record of public service and reputation for honesty and integrity.
    Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
Noun
  • The Wegmans grocery chain has also improved the customer experience by using the GS1 Digital Link.
    Benjamin Claeys, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
  • Even Walmart and Target sell craft supplies, though hard-core crafters will point out, rightly, that those chains don’t come close to offering the selection of fabric and other materials that Joann did.
    Andrea Valdez, The Atlantic, 1 June 2025
Noun
  • What seems to be an inert plant, a part of the ecological background, suddenly becomes an inescapable trap.
    Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025
  • Mazzotti said iguanas love the color red — biologists often lure them into traps with red flowers, strawberries or even red marbles.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • Remote work has surged in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 33 percent of white collar workers being fully remote as of late 2024, according to OnePoll.
    Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
  • Roberti said the additional staff, along with close monitoring of wolves that have GPS collars on them, should provide the state with much better information about where wolves are located.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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