hamstrung
Americanadjective
-
having been made powerless or useless; thwarted.
The candidates also face a housing market crisis, subway strikes, and a hamstrung government.
-
having had the hamstring tendon cut.
She fell like a hamstrung deer.
verb
Etymology
Origin of hamstrung
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.
Faced with rising borrowing costs, a deficit of 5.4% of GDP and a public debt at its highest level since the 1940s, Lecornu is financially as well as politically hamstrung.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The midseason trades helped the Clippers start replenishing their draft capital after the blockbuster move that brought Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to L.A. in 2019 hamstrung their assets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
Private equity’s pileup of unsold investments—just shy of 33,000 companies globally worth more than $3 trillion—has hamstrung fundraising and strained relations with fund investors waiting to get money back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
The Dutch Restitution Committee, which advises on looted Nazi art, is also hamstrung as it cannot compel private individuals to return artworks.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
For months their intellects had been hamstrung by mystery.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
