Standard Lemma guide

handcuffs

noun · verb · 4 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.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AE1 N D K AH2 F S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A fastening consisting of two metal rings, designed to go around a person's wrists, and connected by a chain or hinge.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any abstract constraint, such as rules, regulations, or lack of resources.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, plural, plural-only

Examples

  • They complained that their rules of engagement were handcuffs that guaranteed counterproductivity.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

plural of handcuff

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

third-person singular simple present indicative of handcuff

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

1775, from hand + cuff (“end of shirtsleeve”). Possibly influenced by Old English handcops, from hand + cops (“fetter, chains”), but due to lack of continuity (centuries between Old English and modern term), generally analyzed as a re-invention.

Across languages

Translations

107 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Alabama: ilbistalsiha — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Albanian: pranga — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Arabic: أَصْفَاد (ʔaṣfād) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Arabic: أَغْلَال (ʔaḡlāl) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Arabic: كَلَبْشة (kalabša) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Armenian: ձեռնաշղթա (jeṙnašġtʻa) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Azerbaijani: qandal — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Basque: esku lota — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Belarusian: кайда́нкі (kajdánki) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Belarusian: нару́чнікі (narúčniki) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Bengali: হাতকড়া (hatkoṛa) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Bulgarian: белезни́ци (belezníci) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Burmese: လက်ထိတ် (lakhtit) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Catalan: manilles — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Chinese Cantonese: 手扣 (sau2 kau3) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Chinese Mandarin: 手銬 /手铐 (shǒukào) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Wu Chinese: 手銬 /手铐 (5seu-khau) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Czech: pouta — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Czech: želízka — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Danish: håndjern — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Dutch: handboeien — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Esperanto: mankateno — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Estonian: käerauad — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Finnish: käsiraudat — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • French: menottes — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • French: entraves — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • French: bracelets — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Georgian: ხელბორკილი (xelborḳili) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • German: Handschellen — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • German: Handfesseln — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Greek: χειροπέδες (cheiropédes) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Hebrew: אֲזִקִּים (azikím) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Hindi: हथकड़ी (hathakṛī) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Hungarian: bilincs — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Icelandic: handjárn — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Ido: manoto — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Indonesian: borgol — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Interlingua: manica — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Irish: glais lámh — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Italian: manette — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Japanese: 手錠 (tejō) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Kazakh: бұғау (būğau) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Kazakh: қолкісен (qolkısen) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Kazakh: кісен (kısen) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Khmer: ខ្នោះដៃ (khnɑh day) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Korean: 수갑 (sugap) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Central Kurdish: کەلەپچە (kelepçe) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Northern Kurdish: kelemçe — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Northern Kurdish: kelepçe — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Kyrgyz: кишен (kişen) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Kyrgyz: кол кишен (kol kişen) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Kyrgyz: колкишен (kolkişen) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Lao: ສວມກະແຈມື (sūam ka chǣ mư̄) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Lao: ກະແຈມື (ka chǣ mư̄) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Latin: manicae — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Latvian: roku dzelži — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Lithuanian: antrankiai — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Macedonian: лисици (lisici) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Malay: gari — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Maltese: manetti — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Malvi: हातकड़ी (hātakṛī) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Manchu: ᠰᠠᠩᠰᡝ (sangse) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Mongolian: гав (gav) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Navajo: látsíín nináʼniłí — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Norwegian Bokmål: håndjern — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: handjarn — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Pashto: کړۍ (karhay) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Iranian Persian: دَسْتبَنْد (dast-band) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Plautdietsch: Spaunsel — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Polish: kajdanki — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Portuguese: algema — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Romanian: cătușe — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Russian: нару́чники (narúčniki) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Serbo-Croatian: лѝсице — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Serbo-Croatian: lìsice — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Slovak: putá — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Slovak: želiezka — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Slovene: lisice — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Spanish: esposas — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Spanish: grilletes — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Spanish: marrocas — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Spanish: chachas — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Spanish: grillas — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Swedish: handbojor — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Swedish: handklovar — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Tagalog: posas — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Tajik: кишани даст (kišan-i dast) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Tajik: завлонаи даст (zavlona-yi dast) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Tajik: дастбанд (dastband) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Tamil: கைவிலங்கு (kaivilaṅku) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Telugu: సంకెళ్ళు (saṅkeḷḷu) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Thai: กุญแจมือ (gun-jɛɛ-mʉʉ) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Turkish: kelepçe — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Turkish: bilekçe — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Turkmen: gandal — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Ukrainian: нару́чники (narúčnyky) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Ukrainian: кайда́ни (kajdány) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Urdu: ہَتَھکْڑی (hathakṛī) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Urdu: ہَتْھکَڑی (hathkaṛī) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Uyghur: قول كىشەن (qol kishen) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Uzbek: qoʻlkishan — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Vietnamese: còng — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Vietnamese: còng tay — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Vietnamese: còng số tám — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Vietnamese: còng số 8 — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Yiddish: האַנטקייטן (hantkeytn) — metal rings for fastening wrists
  • Zhuang: aensujfwngz — metal rings for fastening wrists