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Showing results for handcuff. Search instead for unhandcuff.
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

Explanation

A handcuff is a metal restraint that closes around a person's wrist. When police arrest a suspect, they often put handcuffs on him. You'll almost always find this word in its plural form, since handcuffs come in pairs, one for each wrist. It's also a verb, meaning "to put handcuffs on a person." Police officers carry handcuffs with them, so that they're ready to handcuff criminals and troublemakers. Handcuffs hold the wrists close to each other, usually behind the wearer's back. The earliest meaning of handcuff was "decorative sleeve," in the 1640s.

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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.

Asked about the raid and agents’ conduct, DHS said, “ICE does not zip tie or handcuff children.”

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

The officers eventually handcuff Timberlake and place him in the back of the police car, the video shows.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

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

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 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

There was a band of sweat around his wrist where the handcuff had been.

From "Holes" by Louis Sachar

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.