hog-tied 1 of 2

adjective

as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose prosecutors were hog-tied as the convicted felon was freed on a technicality

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hog-tied

2 of 2

verb

past tense of hog-tie
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of their principals' inflexible demands virtually hog-tied the diplomats' efforts to negotiate a peace treaty

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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 hog-tied
Verb
In fact, police questioned several other men in connection with the murder of Weaver, who was hog-tied, raped and strangled by her attacker, who then set a fire in her bedroom to cover his tracks, court papers state. — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 15 May 2026 Most damning of all is that her body was found hog-tied in a conspicuously similar fashion as Reynolds’ previous presumptive victim, Bunny Davis. — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026 Well, for one, the go-to induction method is being roused from your bed in the middle of the night, hog-tied, and tossed in a van. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hog-tied
  1. helpless
  2. hampered
  3. paralyzed
  4. impeded
  5. weak
  6. hindered
  7. embarrassed
  8. obstructed
Adjective
  • That’s not because Crystal soft-pedals the emotional horror of returning to your home to find charred remains after watching, helpless, as flames took the locus of all your best memories.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • That’s not because Crystal soft-pedals the emotional horror of returning to the charred remains of your home after watching, helpless, as flames took the locus of all your best memories.
    — Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of helpless
Verb
  • Cocoa production was hampered by extreme-weather issues for years, causing prices for the crop to surge.
    — Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • O’Connor, conversely, may be hampered by his sympathetic warmth.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of hampered
Adjective
  • After 60 days, the researchers reported that treated pigs could stand and walk on all four limbs, while controls remained paralyzed.
    — Mike McRae October 21, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In 1995, however, Reeve, a competitive equestrian, had a devastating accident, breaking his spine while riding, and becoming paralyzed for the rest of his life.
    — Kate Aurthur, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of paralyzed
Verb
  • The rangers moved the man off the glacier and made multiple attempts to airlift the man off the mountain, but rescue efforts were impeded by inclement weather.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In his ruling, Judge Joseph Montano found that prosecutors had impeded grand jurors who wanted to hear from defense witnesses.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of impeded
Adjective
  • The age-old advice of keeping your passwords secure and being wary of suspicious emails is more important than ever as hackers gain more sophisticated tools and use AI to find more of the internet’s weak points.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Analysts expect profits and assets to cover the dividend through weaker timber periods.
    — Sebastien Chasse, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of weak
Verb
  • This hindered Ukraine's ability to intercept drones and disrupted missions.
    — Ava Pukatch, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But the effects of the Middle East conflict, including the choked Strait of Hormuz, hindered that possibility.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of hindered
Verb
  • Chicago embarrassed Philadelphia, while the Eagles squandered a late lead against the Rams before suffering an improbable loss to the Jaguars in London.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Longhorns’ offense scored 17 points against a Florida defense that Missouri and South Carolina embarrassed.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of embarrassed
Verb
  • License plates need to be clearly visible and not obstructed.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The technology helps robots manipulate objects and navigate around obstacles using touch, including when visual information is unavailable or obstructed.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of obstructed

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Cite this Entry

“Hog-tied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hog-tied. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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