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Synonyms

handcuff

American  
[hand-kuhf] / ˈhændˌkʌf /

noun

  1. a ring-shaped metal device that can be locked around a person's wrist, usually one of a pair connected by a short chain or linked bar; shackle.

    The police put handcuffs on the suspect.

verb (used with object)

  1. to put handcuffs on.

  2. to restrain or thwart (someone) by or as if by handcuffing.

    The amendments handcuffed the committee and prevented further action.
handcuff British  
/ ˈhændˌkʌf /

verb

  1. (tr) to put handcuffs on (a person); manacle

"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

noun

  1. (plural) a pair of locking metal rings joined by a short bar or chain for securing prisoners, 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

Other Word Forms

  • unhandcuff verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of handcuff

First recorded in 1635–45; hand + cuff 1

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.

These steps wouldn’t handcuff discretion; it would discipline it.

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025

The footage doesn’t show him being arrested, but two witnesses told the outlet that they saw agents handcuff Ventura Aguilar and place him in a van.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2025

“Figure out specifically how much money you can afford to spend on a monthly basis — which can handcuff you, in a way, of not going on a free-for-all spending spree,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025

The 32-year-old dashed out of the shop - with the barber's cape still draped around his shoulders - before dragging the man off the officer and giving him time to handcuff the suspect.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2024

They surround us, but don't handcuff us, and walk us to the elevator bank.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

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.