manacles 1 of 2

noun

plural of manacle
as in irons
something that physically prevents free movement manacles prevented the bear from roaming beyond a very small area

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

manacles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of manacle
1
as in binds
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains manacled the prisoner to the wall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampers
to create difficulty for the work or activity of in this situation, the police are manacled by unnecessary regulations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of manacles
Noun
Speaking to Morgan during an interview released on YouTube on Tuesday, British national Yiannopoulos, 41, recounted how his hands and feet were chained together with manacles. — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manacles
  1. bond
  2. binds
  3. hampers
  4. chain
  5. chains
  6. impedes
  7. constraint
  8. handcuffs
Noun
  • Nathan created an atmosphere of tension that backfired spectacularly by wedging a distance between himself and his deckhands and strengthening the bond between Joe and Cooper.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The show, which has five 60-minute episodes, is a warm-hearted factual entertainment format celebrating the bond between people and their animals.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of bond
Verb
  • The Model Context Protocol’s authorization specification binds an access token to the server it was issued for and requires servers to reject tokens that were not.
    — Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The emulsifier binds the components together and leads to a smooth, complete melt.
    — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of binds
Verb
  • This hampers several of my favorite performances, especially Harper, whose Ben is full of sarcastic indignation, and June Laporte as Ginny, an aspiring reporter in need of proper mentoring.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
  • That marks a 37% increase from the same time last year, as the Iran war hampers oil supply.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of hampers
Noun
  • Contract pharmacies grew from roughly 1,300 in 2010 to more than 31,000 by mid-2026, dominated by the largest chains.
    — Casey B. Mulligan, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Not only are those objectively terrible ideas, but chains of title put guardrails on what studios can do with many iconic characters.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of chain
Verb
  • Restaurant chains Chipotle and QDOBA pulled jalapeños last week.
    — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • To address this, Ivo uses a multi-step pipeline that chains together more than 400 model calls for each contract review.
    — Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of chains
Verb
  • The sheriff said vehicles parked in a way that impedes traffic will be towed at the owner's expense.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Typically, PAs are putting in 60-hour workweeks, and their duties can include everything from running errands to cleaning up messes to managing the general public when filming takes place in a location and impedes foot or car traffic.
    — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of impedes
Noun
  • Many have been feeling the squeeze as costs for inputs like diesel, fertilizer and seed have soared thanks to refinery constraints and supply disruptions amid the Iran war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In California, municipal utilities face constraints in raising rates under Proposition 218, a ballot initiative passed in 1996 that says fees must reflect the costs of providing service.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of constraint
Verb
  • Federal agents were waiting on the tarmac to greet them, handcuffs at the ready.
    — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The state government already handcuffs local municipalities with preemption laws.
    — Oliver Adams Larkin, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026
Definition of handcuffs

Browse Nearby Words

manacled
manacles
manacling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Manacles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manacles. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All