straitjacket
or straight·jack·et
[ streyt-jak-it ]
/ ˈstreɪtˌdʒæk ɪt /
noun
a garment made of strong material and designed to bind the arms, as of a violently disoriented person.
anything that severely confines, constricts, or hinders: Conventional attitudes can be a straitjacket, preventing original thinking.
verb (used with object) Also strait-jack·et.
to put in or as in a straitjacket: Her ambition was straitjacketed by her family.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
strait-jacket, strait-lace, strait-laced, straiten, straitened, straitjacket, straitly, straits, straits dollar, straits settlements, strake
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for straitjacket
British Dictionary definitions for straitjacket
straitjacket
/ (ˈstreɪtˌdʒækɪt) /
noun
Also called: straightjacket a jacket made of strong canvas material with long sleeves for binding the arms of violent prisoners or mentally ill patients
a severe restriction or limitation
verb
(tr) to confine in or as if in a straitjacket
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
Medicine definitions for straitjacket
straitjacket
n.
A long-sleeved jacketlike garment used to bind the arms tightly against the body as a means of restraining a violent person.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.