straitjacket

1 of 2

noun

strait·​jack·​et ˈstrāt-ˌja-kət How to pronounce straitjacket (audio)
variants or less commonly straightjacket
1
: a cover or overgarment of strong material (such as canvas) used to bind the body and especially the arms closely in restraining a violent prisoner or patient
2
: something that restricts or confines like a straitjacket

straitjacket

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly straightjacket
straitjacketed also straightjacketed; straitjacketing also straightjacketing; straitjackets also straightjackets

transitive verb

: to confine in or as if in a straitjacket

Examples of straitjacket in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
At halftime of Saturday’s game between Louisville men’s basketball and Pittsburgh, a magician walked onto Denny Crum Court and freed himself from a straitjacket in less than three minutes. The Courier-Journal, 6 Jan. 2024 Xbox Further Reading Microsoft gives a damn ’bout your bad reputation on Xbox One That said, Microsoft isn't exactly putting itself in an enforcement straitjacket with the new standardized system. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 16 Aug. 2023 And the show cuts several sequences from the film, including a sensationalist scene in which Joe, at rock bottom, is committed to a sanitarium, wrapped in a straitjacket and pinned down as orderlies sedate him. Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 Companies would be smart to liberate themselves from the diversity, equity, and inclusion straitjacket. Samuel Gregg, National Review, 30 Oct. 2023 The Seminoles and other teams have studied the ACC’s grant of rights and aren’t convinced there isn’t some way to escape that straitjacket. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2023 Back in 1899, the legendary escape artist wriggled his way out of a straitjacket while dangling upside down, 45 feet above 4th Street. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2023 McCarthy, eagerly stepping into a straitjacket of his own design, has earned himself the dubious distinction of becoming speaker in name only. Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2023 Workers are returning to the office on their own terms as companies crack down: ‘That 9-to-5 straitjacket is gone’ August 28, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT White-collar workers are back in the office. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
Verb
Hip-hop from that period often incorporated sampling, a technique that was legally straitjacketed by 1991. Jeremy Gordon, New York Times, 3 May 2020 Trump was not straitjacketed by the laws and customs governing foundations, or by the most basic ethical norms. Steve Chapman, chicagotribune.com, 13 Nov. 2019 Europe is a tough regulatory landscape for big technology companies, with fines raining down on Google, a hefty back-tax bill for Apple, and the threat of new laws to straitjacket how online platforms handle their customers. Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2019 But this tick somehow fell into a spider web, and the resident spider promptly straitjacketed its arachnid cousin in loops of silk, either to save it as a snack or to immobilize it as a precaution. National Geographic, 25 May 2018 Critics over the years have accused Muti of straitjacketing the music in the name of fidelity to the score, but there was no rigidity of pacing or phrasing here. John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 22 Aug. 2017 Highlights from previous eras, including the 1980s pinnacle of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, look shrunken and straitjacketed in comparison. John Branch, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2016 This was long before the Corps of Engineers straitjacketed the once wide and slower-moving river. Darryl Levings, kansascity, 28 Apr. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'straitjacket.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1863, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of straitjacket was in 1814

Dictionary Entries Near straitjacket

Cite this Entry

“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straitjacket. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

straitjacket

noun
strait·​jack·​et
variants also straightjacket
ˈstrāt-ˌjak-ət
: a cover or outer garment of strong material (as canvas) used to restrict the movement of the arms as a means of controlling a violent prisoner or patient

Medical Definition

straitjacket

noun
strait·​jack·​et
variants also straightjacket
: a cover or garment of strong material (as canvas) used to bind the body and especially the arms closely in restraining a violent prisoner or patient

More from Merriam-Webster on straitjacket

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