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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Recent Examples of straitjacket
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
Lagrange’s method, despite seeming like a mere mathematical convenience at the time, loosened the straitjacket of Newton’s mechanistic view of the universe as a sequence of falling dominos.
—Charlie Wood, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
Many have plausibly claimed that his insistence on fitting a diverse society into the straitjacket of modern secular nationalism led successive governments to respond brutally when citizens wanted to keep speaking Kurdish or wearing headscarves.
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2015
To be sure, in the past decade Democrats and Republicans have abandoned the fiscal straitjacket of the Nineties, drifting away from laissez-faire economics and toward more nationalist policies on trade, infrastructure, and immigration.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 25 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for straitjacket 
Tzvi Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2017
Lagrange’s method, despite seeming like a mere mathematical convenience at the time, loosened the straitjacket of Newton’s mechanistic view of the universe as a sequence of falling dominos.
—Charlie Wood, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
Many have plausibly claimed that his insistence on fitting a diverse society into the straitjacket of modern secular nationalism led successive governments to respond brutally when citizens wanted to keep speaking Kurdish or wearing headscarves.
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2015
To be sure, in the past decade Democrats and Republicans have abandoned the fiscal straitjacket of the Nineties, drifting away from laissez-faire economics and toward more nationalist policies on trade, infrastructure, and immigration.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 25 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
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While there are non-profits that also run BOP halfway houses, commercial companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group have the ability to quickly expand monitoring of those on home confinement.Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
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Last month, President Biden commuted the sentences of 1,500 Americans in home confinement during the pandemic and pardoned 39 others, setting a record for clemency in one day, according to the White House.Delano Massey, Axios, 4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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As Texans prepare for the weather, some of the area’s largest grocery chains have seen an increase in demand for staple items, like bottled water, milk, eggs, cereal, bread, peanut butter and paper goods.Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2025
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Delgado’s death sets off a chain of events in the episodes that follow.Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Make sure your plans include fallback options for these users but don’t fall into the trap of falling back onto lower-assurance security factors.Aaron Painter, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
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This is political gamesmanship at its worst, planting a trap for lawmakers by exploiting a tragedy.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Queen Mary’s Love Trophy collar necklace will be on display for the first time.Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 6 Jan. 2025
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At the red carpet rollout ceremony on Jan. 2, the comic wore a custom Off-White look featuring a boxy blazer jacket and wide fit smoking pants in a silver metallic fabric teamed with a plunging black bodysuit with cross collar details.Brittany Talarico, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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