Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

handcuff

 - 3 dictionary results

hand⋅cuff

[hand-kuhf]
–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.
–verb (used with object)
2. to put handcuffs on.
3. to restrain or thwart (someone) by or as if by handcuffing: The amendments handcuffed the committee and prevented further action.

Origin:
1635–45; hand + cuff 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To handcuff
hand·cuff   (hānd'kŭf')   
n.  A restraining device consisting of a pair of strong, connected hoops that can be tightened and locked about the wrists and used on one or both arms of a prisoner in custody; a manacle. Often used in the plural.
tr.v.   hand·cuffed, hand·cuff·ing, hand·cuffs
  1. To restrain with or as if with handcuffs.

  2. To render ineffective or impotent. See Synonyms at hamper1.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

handcuff  (n.)
1775, from hand + cuff. The verb is first attested 1720. O.E. had hondcops "a pair of hand cuffs," but the modern word is a re-invention.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see handcuff on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: