shackling

verb

present participle of shackle
1
as in binding
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains unwilling to shackle the dogs to the wall of the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampering
to create difficulty for the work or activity of shackled by poverty and ignorance

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 shackling 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, 3 July 2026 In 2019, David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children at their home in California, starving them and providing only a minimal education. — Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 The Baltimore region has suffered too long from underinvestment in transit services — which is shackling economic growth, harming the environment and constraining quality of life for families. — Brandon Scott, Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2026 Men are often the ones in those ICE facilities who are shackling and chaining detainees. — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 7 Feb. 2026 In Wisconsin, a bill that would restrict shackling inmates while in labor — something most states already ban — has repeatedly failed to pass the state Legislature. — Jon Schuppe, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shackling
  1. binding
  2. hampering
  3. tying
  4. impeding
  5. handcuffing
  6. hindering
  7. confining
  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
  • Birds visiting the feeder can get the goo on their wings, hampering their ability to fly and possibly leading to their untimely deaths.
    — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Rescuers will use an extrication device and a helicopter, Fathur said, adding that there were no reports of people missing and no challenges hampering the search.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of hampering
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
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of handcuffing
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
  • 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
  • He was charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension for taking steps to conceal evidence and obstructing the investigation, according to a press release from Sunday's office.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Paul Robinson, the father of a student who was accused with Abbatiello of being one of the ring’s two main suppliers, is charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension and obstructing the investigation.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of obstructing

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Cite this Entry

“Shackling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shackling. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of shackling for Spanish Speakers

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