shackles 1 of 2

noun

plural of shackle
as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult the shackles of illiteracy can be just as confining as leg irons

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shackles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shackle
1
as in binds
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains unwilling to shackle the dogs to the wall of the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampers
to create difficulty for the work or activity of shackled by poverty and ignorance

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 shackles
Noun
The Tates entered the courtroom in shackles and matching tan jail jumpsuits, surrounded by four US marshals. — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 Wearing dark blue jail garb, handcuffs and iron shackles around his waist, Caruso on Friday was ordered to surrender his passport before release. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 Opening statements by defense Anthony's defense attorney, Russell Wilson, opened by requesting that Anthony be removed from his shackles, which Chitty approved. — Cbs Texas Staff, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 And shackles where the very system was preventing me from delivering value. — Alex Crippen, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026 Somehow, the models managed to slip out of their shackles and go on a mini hacking spree. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 29 July 2026 They were then arrested and taken to prison — while reportedly holding hands and sharing a kiss in shackles. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026 D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, entered the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in shackles and an orange jumpsuit. — Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026 Burke entered the packed courtroom with shackles around his waist and, for a brief moment, seemed to smile shyly at the room. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shackles
  1. obstacle
  2. binds
  3. hampers
  4. hurdle
  5. chains
  6. hinders
  7. obstruction
  8. ties
Noun
  • Both benefit from improved navigation, apparently able to avoid cables and other obstacles as small as 2mm in size, as well as transparent objects like mirrors or glass.
    — Dominic Preston, The Verge, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The 340-pound ball is just soft enough to bounce lightly over bumpy obstacles, but its slight overpressure keeps it relatively firm.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of obstacle
Verb
  • Instead, the plasma is a mix of the constituents of hadrons and the nuclear force that binds them.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Gilligan’s portrait of their relationship is a study of how time binds people together.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of binds
Verb
  • That marks a 37% increase from the same time last year, as the Iran war hampers oil supply.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The lack of open pores in the soil also hampers the movement of air and water.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of hampers
Noun
  • But Oxley, writing in a commentary, cautioned that there are logistical hurdles and said the value of Venezuela’s reserves may have been exaggerated under former President Hugo Chavez.
    — Collin Binkley, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Secondly, insurance and safety inspections remain critical hurdles.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of hurdle
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
  • True commitment allows strategies to develop and succeed, as indecision hinders progress.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Neptune retrograde hinders our intuition, leaving us lost in the fog.
    — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 15 July 2026
Definition of hinders
Noun
  • Investigators accused him of obstruction of justice, unlawful contracting and, among other things, claiming $127,630 in expenses linked to fictitious missions and plane tickets for nearly a dozen trips.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The prosecutor, Matthew Evans, was fired on Thursday and is now under investigation for alleged obstruction of a grand jury probe, the person said.
    — Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of obstruction
Verb
  • For South Africa, which supplies more than 80% of the world’s platinum, the hydrogen bet ties its export earnings and job creation to Beijing’s industrial policy.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • That ties him with two other players for the most times having won that award.
    — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of ties

Browse Nearby Words

shackled
shackles
shackling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shackles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shackles. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All