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.

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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

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noun

1. (plural) a pair of locking metal rings joined by a short bar or chain for securing prisoners, etc

Other Word Forms

• unhandcuff verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of handcuff

First recorded in 1635–45; hand + cuff ¹

Example Sentences

"The previous programmes made about Lucy, including Panorama and the almost nightly news showing her being brought out handcuffed in a blue tracksuit are heartbreaking for us," they said.

From Barron's

They put him in handcuffs and took him to a hospital.

From Los Angeles Times

When the latest retrial started at a special criminal court in the city of Pezinok near the capital, Bratislava, masked special force officers led Kocner, wearing a black surgical mask, into the court in handcuffs.

From Barron's

An armored vehicle moved it—or rather moved Ridge, who was handcuffed to a metal briefcase holding the formula—from one bank vault to another in 2018.

From The Wall Street Journal

In December, he said, he was painting a legal “but unmarked” crosswalk in Westwood — for safety reasons but also as an act of protest — and was handcuffed by police who issued him a vandalism citation.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bind
• frustrate
• hamper
• hamstring