handcuffed 1 of 2

adjective

as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose handcuffed by a dearth of funding, the preservation society can do little but stand by as these historic structures deteriorate

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handcuffed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of handcuff
1
as in bound
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampered
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

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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 handcuffed
Verb
He is shackled by the feet and handcuffed. — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2026 This is just one in a sweaty dungeon of hundreds of TikTok videos that show women being stalked, grabbed, tortured, tossed to the ground, and handcuffed by scary masked soldiers. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026 The officer radioed for backup and more police came, surrounded the man, grabbed his arms, and handcuffed him, according to police testimony. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 June 2026 Tyson, who surrendered himself to authorities, was arrested on June 4, months after Nuñez and Jones were handcuffed. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026 The Athletics head into a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the best record in the MLB, more than a little handcuffed by injuries. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 30 June 2026 Carrico ordered her out of the vehicle, handcuffed her behind her back, and transported her to the Buckeye Police Department booking facility. — Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Any Bay State citizen from Boston to Great Barrington would have been handcuffed and hauled into court yesterday for sucker-punching a fellow bar patron the way a State Police officer did over the weekend. — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 30 June 2026 One of the troops summoned Metropolitan Police Department officers, who stopped O’Hara and kept him handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes before releasing him without charges, according to the lawsuit. — ABC News, 26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handcuffed
  1. helpless
  2. bound
  3. hampered
  4. paralyzed
  5. tied
  6. impeded
  7. weak
  8. shackled
Adjective
  • The leading interpretation is that Smilodon delivered a single precise bite to the throat or belly, severing something vital in a target that was already helpless.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Pele controls the ball in the penalty area with his thigh, flips it over the head of the defender and smashes it past a helpless Kalle Svensson.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of helpless
Verb
  • It is bounded by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • Two more fireworks bounded across the field and into the stands.
    — Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of bound
Verb
  • Chwalińska took a medical timeout for an ankle injury at the end of the game and was clearly hampered by it for the rest of the match.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 29 June 2026
  • Securing reservations at elite restaurants and bars has become a competitive, multi-billion dollar market, often hampered by bots and fragmented systems.
    — Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of hampered
Adjective
  • The waves will carry the paralyzed bodies to the shore, and even dead jellyfish have been known to sting.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 June 2026
  • The teen, who was crossing the street at the time, was run over twice by the truck, causing catastrophic injuries that left him paralyzed from the waist down, local ABC affiliate WKBW reported.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 28 June 2026
Definition of paralyzed
Verb
  • Boston tied it 2-2 in the second on Duran’s 13th homer, a two-run shot to right-center off starter Ryan Johnson (1-4).
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Haaland has played his best on the sport’s biggest stage, scoring seven goals at this World Cup so far, tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé for the most in the tournament.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 6 July 2026
Definition of tied
Verb
  • Supporters had campaigned for Merlin to be allowed into the Azteca to witness Mexico’s final group game — but the dabbler found his free passage impeded on Wednesday evening by FIFA regulations.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • The Sugar Act directly impeded colonial drinking, as molasses is a key ingredient in rum.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 26 June 2026
Definition of impeded
Adjective
  • Following a year of historically weak hiring in 2025, hiring rebounded this spring.
    — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • In a weak free-agency class, centers Robert Williams III (Portland) and Mark Williams (Phoenix) are already off the market, each reportedly agreeing to return to their current teams.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of weak
Verb
  • Zico played some good passes, but he was also shackled well by Italy’s legendary man-marker Claudio Gentile.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 1 July 2026
  • Tokyo would still be shackled with the biggest public debt burden anywhere — as much as 260% of GDP — as the population shrinks.
    — William Pesek, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of shackled

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Cite this Entry

“Handcuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handcuffed. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on handcuffed

Nglish: Translation of handcuffed for Spanish Speakers

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