noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈhændˌkʌf/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:HH AE1 N D K AH2 F
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
One ring of a locking fetter for the hand or one pair.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: rare, singular
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: manacle, wristlet
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To apply handcuffs to someone.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
to restrain or restrict.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, transitive
Examples
Dang, I’m handcuffed by these regulations. I’d like to help but it’d be illegal.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
shackle that consists of a metal loop that can be locked around the wrist; usually used in pairs
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cuff, handlock, manacle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: shackle, bond, hamper, trammel
5
verb
Meaning 5
confine or restrain with or as if with manacles or handcuffs
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The police handcuffed the suspect at the scene of the crime
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: manacle, cuff
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: fetter, shackle
History
Etymology
From hand + cuff (“end of shirtsleeve”). Possibly an adaptation of Middle English handcops (“shackles for the hand, handcuffs”), from Old English handcops, from hand + cops, cosp (“fetter, chains”), but due to a lack of continuity (centuries between Old English and the modern term), generally analyzed as a re-invention. Nominal form first appears c. 1591 in the publications of John Florio. Verbal form first appears c. 1649.
Across languages
Translations
135 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
pranga
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Southern Altai:
кижен
(kižen)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Arabic:
صَفَد
(ṣafad)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Arabic:
أَصْفَاد
(ʔaṣfād)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Arabic:
مينوط
(minouṭ)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Armenian:
ձեռնաշղթա
(jeṙnašġtʻa)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Azerbaijani:
əl qandalı
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Azerbaijani:
qandal
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Belarusian:
нару́чнік
(narúčnik)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Belarusian:
нару́чнікі
(narúčniki)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Bengali:
হাতকড়া
(hatkoṛa)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Bulgarian:
белезни́ци
(belezníci)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Burmese:
လက်ထိတ်
(lakhtit)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Catalan:
manilla
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Catalan:
manilles
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Chinese Cantonese:
手扣
(sau2 kau3)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Chinese Mandarin:
手銬 /手铐
(shǒukào)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Czech:
pouta
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Czech:
želízka
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Danish:
håndjern
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Dutch:
handboei
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Esperanto:
mankateno
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Estonian:
käerauad
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Finnish:
käsirauta
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
French:
menotte
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Galician:
esposas
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Georgian:
ხელბორკილი
(xelborḳili)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
German:
Handschelle
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Greek:
χειροπέδα
(cheiropéda)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Greek:
χειροπέδες
(cheiropédes)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Hawaiian:
hao hoʻopaʻa lima
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Hebrew:
אֲזִקִּים
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Hebrew:
אזיק
(azík)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Hindi:
हथकड़ी
(hathkaṛī)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Hungarian:
bilincs
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Icelandic:
handjárn
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Ido:
manoto
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Indonesian:
gari
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Indonesian:
borgol
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Italian:
manetta
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Japanese:
手錠
(tejō)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Kazakh:
бұғау
(būğau)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Kazakh:
қолкісен
(qolkısen)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Khmer:
ខ្នោះដៃ
(khnɑh day)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Korean:
수갑
(sugap)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Northern Kurdish:
kelemçe
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Kyrgyz:
колкишен
(kolkişen)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Kyrgyz:
кишен
(kişen)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Lao:
ກະແຈມື
(ka chǣ mư̄)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Latvian:
roku dzelži
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Lithuanian:
antrankiai
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Luhya:
epingu
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Macedonian:
лисици
(lisici)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Malay:
gari
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Malayalam:
വിലങ്ങ്
(vilaṅṅŭ)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Malayalam:
കൈവിലങ്ങ്
(kaivilaṅṅŭ)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Mongolian:
гав
(gav)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Norwegian Bokmål:
håndjern
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Norwegian Bokmål:
handjern
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Norwegian Nynorsk:
handjarn
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Norwegian Nynorsk:
handjern
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Old English:
handcosp
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Pashto:
اتکړۍ
(atkaṛǝy)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Pashto:
ولچک
(walčǝk)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Pashto:
هټکرۍ
(haṭakrǝy)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Pashto:
هتوړۍ
(hatoṛǝy)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Iranian Persian:
دَسْتبَنْد
(dast-band)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Polish:
kajdanki
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Portuguese:
algema
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Romanian:
cătușă
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Russian:
нару́чник
(narúčnik)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Russian:
нару́чники
(narúčniki)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Serbo-Croatian:
лѝсице
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Serbo-Croatian:
lìsice
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Slovak:
putá
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Slovak:
náramok
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Slovak:
náramky
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Slovene:
lisice
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Spanish:
esposa
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Spanish:
marroca
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Swahili:
pingu
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Swedish:
handboja
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Tagalog:
pangaw
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Tagalog:
posas
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Tajik:
дастбанд
(dastband)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Tajik:
кишани даст
(kišan-i dast)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Tajik:
завлонаи даст
(zavlona-yi dast)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Tamil:
கைவிலங்கு
(kaivilaṅku)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Thai:
กุญแจมือ
(gun-jɛɛ-mʉʉ)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Turkish:
kelepçe
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Turkish:
bilekçe
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Ottoman Turkish:
بیلكچه
(bilekçe)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Ottoman Turkish:
كلبچه
(kelebçe)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Turkmen:
gandal
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Ukrainian:
нару́чник
(narúčnyk)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Ukrainian:
нару́чники
(narúčnyky)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Urdu:
ہَتْھکَڑی
(hathkaṛī)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Uyghur:
كويزا
(koyza)
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Uzbek:
qoʻlkishan
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Vietnamese:
còng
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Vietnamese:
còng tay
— ring of a locking fetter for the hand
Arabic:
كلبش
(kalbaš)
— to apply handcuffs
Breton:
grizilhonañ
— to apply handcuffs
Bulgarian:
слагам белезници
(slagam beleznici)
— to apply handcuffs
Dutch:
in de boeien slaan
— to apply handcuffs
Dutch:
handboeien omdoen
— to apply handcuffs
Dutch:
boeien
— to apply handcuffs
Esperanto:
mankateni
— to apply handcuffs
Finnish:
panna käsirautoihin
— to apply handcuffs
Finnish:
laittaa käsiraudat
— to apply handcuffs
Finnish:
käsiraudoittaa
— to apply handcuffs
French:
menotter
— to apply handcuffs
Galician:
esposar
— to apply handcuffs
German:
fesseln
— to apply handcuffs
Hebrew:
אזק
(azák)
— to apply handcuffs
Hungarian:
megbilincsel
— to apply handcuffs
Icelandic:
handjárna
— to apply handcuffs
Italian:
ammanettare
— to apply handcuffs
Macedonian:
става лисици
(stava lisici)
— to apply handcuffs
Māori:
tūpiki
— to apply handcuffs
Polish:
zakuwać
— to apply handcuffs
Polish:
zakuć
— to apply handcuffs
Polish:
skuwać
— to apply handcuffs
Polish:
skuć
— to apply handcuffs
Portuguese:
algemar
— to apply handcuffs
Romanian:
încătușa
— to apply handcuffs
Romanian:
fereca
— to apply handcuffs
Spanish:
esposar
— to apply handcuffs
Spanish:
enmarrocar
— to apply handcuffs
Spanish:
maniatar
— to apply handcuffs
Swedish:
sätta handbojor på (någon)
— to apply handcuffs