variants
also straightjacket
as in confinement
a jacket that has long arms which can be tied together behind someone's back and that is used to control the movement (as of a violent prisoner or patient)
The magician struggled to free his arms from the straitjacket and escape from the tank of water he was submerged in.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of straitjacket
Neither immediately opened, yet the play was anything but over; Jackson, one of the league’s most elusive playmakers, has slipped a defense’s apparent straitjacket many times before on the way to becoming the NFL’s two-time Most Valuable Player.
—
Andrew Greif, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2024
This means that the straitjacket of sanctions has been loosened for Kim.
—Daniel R. Russel, Foreign Affairs, 12 June 2018
The undiluted isolationism of his campaign messaging could prove to be a straitjacket that paralyzes the Trump administration’s foreign policy at a critical time.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Trump should make clear that Washington will no longer allow the accord to impose a straitjacket on broader U.S. policy in the Middle East.
—Tzvi Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2017
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Andrew Greif, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2024
This means that the straitjacket of sanctions has been loosened for Kim.
—Daniel R. Russel, Foreign Affairs, 12 June 2018
The undiluted isolationism of his campaign messaging could prove to be a straitjacket that paralyzes the Trump administration’s foreign policy at a critical time.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Trump should make clear that Washington will no longer allow the accord to impose a straitjacket on broader U.S. policy in the Middle East.
—Tzvi Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2017
See All Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
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The resulting funds could only be used by the interned to pay for their confinement.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The lives of poor Liberians were temporarily suspended, bracketed by confinement, while those with far more resources could transcend it.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Rolling Stone,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In the case of Tom’s, Schaden says teams are eager partners given the chain’s ability to bring in crowds even when there isn’t an event at the venue.—
Brendan Coffey,
Sportico.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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The effects could ripple up the chain to textile makers and farmers as everyone seeks lower prices to save costs.—
Marc Bain and Joan Kennedy,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In one scene from their lives, a bear trap is intentionally left for Benjy to wander into it.—
Justin Porter,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Man traps woman in car for days: Police A Hawaii man was arrested for allegedly trapping an elderly woman in her car for several days and later forcing her to withdraw money from her bank account, according to the Honolulu Police Department.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The collar was also changed to one from a flight suit of the same period.—
Robert Z. Pearlman,
Space.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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The classic cable knit conjures up images of hot cocoa sipped fireside in a mountain chalet, while the collar and oversized tortoiseshell buttons score subtle style points.—
Jessica Macdonald,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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