handcuff

[ hand-kuhf ]

/ ˈhændˌkʌf /

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See synonyms for: handcuff / handcuffs on Thesaurus.com

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: The police put handcuffs on the suspect.

verb (used with object)

to put handcuffs on.

to restrain or thwart (someone) by or as if by handcuffing: The amendments handcuffed the committee and prevented further action.

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Origin of handcuff

First recorded in 1635–45; hand + cuff¹

OTHER WORDS FROM handcuff

un·hand·cuff, verb (used with object)

How to use handcuff in a sentence

“Defendant moved his hands in a manner so as to avoid the application of handcuffs to his wrists,” the complaint says.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop|Michael Daly|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had been left hanging, by handcuffs and not allowed to lower his arms for 22 hours each day for two consecutive days.
Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon|Tim Mak|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whenever I left the room I had ear muffs, handcuffs and a blindfold placed upon me.
What It’s Like to Be Snatched by the Delta Force|Michael Daly|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“While in the building, I was kept on a hard floor in handcuffs and in leg irons,” he says.
What It’s Like to Be Snatched by the Delta Force|Michael Daly|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“[I] had ear muffs placed over my ears, my eyes were blindfolded, and I was placed in handcuffs,” he reports.
What It’s Like to Be Snatched by the Delta Force|Michael Daly|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sheriff's hand came out of his pocket with a rush, bringing a pair of handcuffs along with it.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Cold steel jaws of handcuffs closed on Black Hood's right wrist.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Handcuffs and chains would look still better on Jim, but it wouldn't go well with the story of us being so poor.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
The fact is, that a week ago he had ordered a lot of constables' staves and four sets of handcuffs.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade
This sad and weeping fifty, in handcuffs and chains, was the last slave coffle that shall tread the soil of America.
The Boys of '61|Charles Carleton Coffin.

British Dictionary definitions for handcuff

handcuff

/ (ˈhændˌkʌf) /

verb

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

noun

(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

handcuff

Origin of handcuff

OTHER WORDS FROM handcuff

Words related to handcuff

How to use handcuff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for handcuff