handcuff

C1 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /ˈhænd.kʌf/ UK /ˈhænd.kʌf/ See IPA manual

Freq #17789

Meanings

1

noun
a locking metal or plastic restraint placed around a wrist, usually used as one of a joined pair

The officer closed one handcuff around the prisoner's wrist.
2

verb
to fasten a person's wrists with handcuffs

Police may handcuff a suspect who presents an immediate danger.
3

verb
figurative: to restrict someone or something severely

Rigid rules can handcuff teams that need to respond quickly.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a locking metal or plastic... cuff manacle shackle

2 verb · to fasten a person's wrists... cuff manacle shackle restrain

3 verb · figurative: to restrict... hamper fetter limit constrain

Opposites

release free unshackle

Word family

Forms handcuffedhandcuffs

Related forms manacle shackle restraint fetter

Appears in

Idioms (1)

See all

golden handcuffs
financial incentives designed to keep a valuable employee from leaving

Etymology

Formed from hand + cuff and first recorded in the late sixteenth century. It may echo Old English handcops 'shackles for the hands,' but the long gap in attestation means the modern compound is generally treated as a later re-formation.

Topics

Materials & Substances

External links

# handcuff

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈhænd.kʌf/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈhænd.kʌf/
**Frequency rank:** 17789

## Meanings
1. a locking metal or plastic restraint placed around a wrist, usually used as one of a joined pair
2. to fasten a person's wrists with handcuffs
3. figurative: to restrict someone or something severely

## Examples
- The officer closed one handcuff around the prisoner's wrist.
- Police may handcuff a suspect who presents an immediate danger.
- Rigid rules can handcuff teams that need to respond quickly.

## Synonyms
- cuff
- manacle
- shackle
- restrain
- hamper
- fetter
- limit
- constrain

## Antonyms
- release
- free
- unshackle

## Related Forms
- manacle
- shackle
- restraint
- fetter

## Etymology
Formed from hand + cuff and first recorded in the late sixteenth century. It may echo Old English handcops 'shackles for the hands,' but the long gap in attestation means the modern compound is generally treated as a later re-formation.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances

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