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Synonyms

hamstring

American  
[ham-string] / ˈhæmˌstrɪŋ /

noun

  1. (in humans and other primates) any of the tendons that bound the ham of the knee.

  2. (in quadrupeds) the great tendon at the back of the hock.

verb (used with object)

hamstrung, hamstringing

  1. to disable by cutting the hamstring or hamstrings.

    Synonyms:
    lame, hock, disable, cripple

  2. to render powerless or useless; thwart.

    Their efforts were hamstrung by stubborn pride.
hamstring British  
/ ˈhæmˌstrɪŋ /

noun

  1. anatomy any of the tendons at the back of the knee

  2. the large tendon at the back of the hock in the hind leg of a horse, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to cripple by cutting the hamstring of

  2. to ruin or thwart

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
hamstring Scientific  
/ hăm′strĭng′ /

  1. A powerful group of muscles at the back of the thigh that arise in the hip and pelvis and insert as strong tendons behind the knee. The hamstring bends the knee and helps to straighten the hip.

Etymology

Origin of hamstring

First recorded in 1555–65; ham 1 + string

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Feyi-Waboso was making his first appearance in a Chiefs shirt since the end of January, having injured his hamstring in an England training camp before the Six Nations.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

The team learned earlier this week that Luka Doncic has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out for the remainder of the regular season — and perhaps beyond.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Austin Reaves didn’t know the extent of Doncic’s hamstring injury, but he knew how the Lakers superstar would approach the latest hurdle in this winding season.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Even more concerning than the Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday was watching superstar guard Luka Doncic hobble off the court with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

I tried to follow his directions to the letter, but I felt a shooting pain through the front of my right quadriceps and down the back of my left hamstring.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.