handcuffing

verb

present participle of handcuff
1
as in binding
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impeding
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

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 handcuffing On the other side of the car, another ICE agent was restraining Salgado against the ground, handcuffing him. — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026 The month prior, Ariana Grande demanded that the administration stop using her music in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement TikTok video depicting federal agents arresting and handcuffing people. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2026 The video ended showing cops pulling Hastings out of his car and handcuffing him. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026 One video published by The Bangor Daily News shows agents pulling his unmoving body out of the driver’s seat—then handcuffing him. — Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Time, 16 July 2026 Forest Service officials, their patience having long evaporated, arrived in force, handcuffing and hauling the occupiers out by the yokes of their flannels, then bulldozing the camp. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 And yet the situation has the potential of becoming a bigger distraction and handcuffing Yzerman from building the roster further. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 The police then appear to grab hold off the councilmember, pushing him to the ground and handcuffing him. — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026 The decree requires law enforcement to meet specific goals before federal oversight is removed, including changes to the use of force policy, limiting military-style tactics during protests and banning handcuffing children under 14. — Riley Moser, CBS News, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffing
  1. binding
  2. impeding
  3. tying
  4. hampering
  5. confining
  6. hindering
  7. shackling
  8. obstructing
Verb
  • Friedman said Forbes’ employee handbook—which, according to the Times, requires staff to seek permission before engaging in outside business activities and bars personal gain from company relationships—likely functions as a binding contract.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Learn about bonsai and composting, DIY terrariums, plantable love letters and book binding.
    — Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of binding
Verb
  • Lynda Albertson, an art-crime analyst, said the works are instantly recognizable, impeding any effort to sell them through reputable channels.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Lynda Albertson, an art crime analyst, said the works are instantly recognizable, impeding any effort to sell them through reputable channels.
    — Colleen Barry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of impeding
Verb
  • The catcher clocked a two-run single in the first inning, then hit a game-tying homer in the third — his first with his new team — in a 9-4 Red Sox win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Trump diverged from his predecessors, however, in pushing it forward without tying steps toward Arab-Israeli normalization to progress on the Palestinian issue.
    — MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of tying
Verb
  • Delays connecting new power plants to the grid are hampering progress.
    — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Toub said the only scenario in which a rookie wouldn’t participate in special teams is because of an injury — such as the shoulder issue that’s currently hampering the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick, cornerback Mansoor Delane.
    — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of hampering
Verb
  • Current state policy makes clear that schools should only consider physically restraining a student or confining them to a room away from others in emergency situations where a student is at risk of harming themselves or others.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • For much of our history, few options existed between mass institutionalization in expensive and confining facilities on one end of the spectrum, and fully independent living absent any supports on the other end of the spectrum.
    — Barbara Merrill, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of confining
Verb
  • One defendant, who is the father of a student, is accused of tampering with evidence and hindering the investigation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Paul Robinson is charged with felony tampering and hindering apprehension for trying to conceal evidence.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of hindering
Verb
  • Both players played well, Romero shackling Jude Bellingham for much of the evening, Spence producing a famous recovery tackle on Giuliano Simeone when England were 1-0 up.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Khushboo Gupta, vice president of policy at PETA India, said the aesthetic appeal of live elephants doesn’t justify shackling, beating and separating them from their families.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of shackling
Verb
  • Marcos Moreno, 61, has been charged with one count each of failure to report a crash resulting in death, leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, and obstructing justice.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • That was followed by Foster City police stating Thursday that a person has been booked on suspicion of causing a fire that injured firefighters, and obstructing police and fire investigators probing the blaze.
    — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of obstructing

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Cite this Entry

“Handcuffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffing. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on handcuffing

Nglish: Translation of handcuffing for Spanish Speakers

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