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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of handcuff

First recorded in 1635–45; hand + cuff¹

OTHER WORDS FROM handcuff

un·hand·cuff, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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