handcuff
noun
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.
handcuffed
-
past participleof handcuff.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof handcuff.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
handcuffnouna 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.
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.
Javier Ramirez was handcuffed in the back of an unmarked car, bruised and confused, when immigration agents used a word he had never heard before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 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
The scrawny man is handcuffed to one of the guards.
From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko
