handcuff
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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handcuffs,
present (3rd person singular)
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handcuffed,
past participle, past
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handcuffing
present participle
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to put handcuffs on.
-
to restrain or thwart (someone) by or as if by handcuffing.
The amendments handcuffed the committee and prevented further action.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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handcuffsimple
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handcuffssimple
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have handcuffedperfect
-
has handcuffedperfect
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am handcuffingprogressive
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are handcuffingprogressive
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is handcuffingprogressive
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have been handcuffingperfect progressive
-
has been handcuffingperfect progressive
Past
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handcuffedsimple
-
had handcuffedperfect
-
was handcuffingprogressive
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were handcuffingprogressive
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had been handcuffingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of handcuff
Explanation
A handcuff is a metal restraint that closes around a person's wrist. When police arrest a suspect, they often put handcuffs on him. You'll almost always find this word in its plural form, since handcuffs come in pairs, one for each wrist. It's also a verb, meaning "to put handcuffs on a person." Police officers carry handcuffs with them, so that they're ready to handcuff criminals and troublemakers. Handcuffs hold the wrists close to each other, usually behind the wearer's back. The earliest meaning of handcuff was "decorative sleeve," in the 1640s.
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.
See Examples For:
“This is a family town,” the arresting officer tells jeering onlookers as he and the two others handcuff Gamble.
From Slate ● May 4, 2026
Asked about the raid and agents’ conduct, DHS said, “ICE does not zip tie or handcuff children.”
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2026
These steps wouldn’t handcuff discretion; it would discipline it.
From Barron's ● Dec. 10, 2025
Officials were able to extinguish the flames and handcuff the suspect, identified as Adam Lopez, 39.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2025
He automatically held a wrist out to each, wondering for a moment if they wanted to handcuff him.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
The department made the announcement on Instagram with a photo of the suspect in handcuffs with two officers standing nearby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
On the first day of the hearing, which is scheduled to last all week, Robinson appeared in court in handcuffs, wearing a gray suit and a dark tie.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Professional investment advisers wear handcuffs when they manage clients’ money — but you don’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Professional investment advisers have to wear handcuffs when they manage clients’ money.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
The guard slowly unchained him, removing his handcuffs and the shackles around his ankles, and then locked eyes with me and told me I had one hour.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Two tall, armed police officers, wearing balaclavas, stood either side of a handcuffed Ahmadzai as they led him, in what felt like quite a performative manner, past the reporters.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
They were handcuffed again and taken to the Whipple Federal Building.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
He imagines himself as a migrant: “I lived outside of Dallas / Rundown shack of a place / I was handcuffed and arrested / It don’t make no sense.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
On January 2 Contreras was handcuffed when he showed up for his immigration hearing, put on a plane and flown to his native Honduras.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Stanley was sitting about ten rows back, handcuffed to his armrest.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
Videos on social media showed federal authorities in Charlotte handcuffing people and leading them into cars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 16, 2025
After a brief conversation, an officer is seen on video handcuffing one of the men.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2025
As the deputy began handcuffing Barnes, Houseton started recording with her phone.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2025
I suspect that we will soon see the Incredible Hulk handcuffing someone.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2025
The suggestion was firmly rejected, a sergeant informing Mr. Muckle that handcuffing a bunch of middle- school kids wouldn’t be good for the public safety department’s image.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
