Meaning & use
hemmed in
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Surrounded or blocked so that movement or escape is very difficult or impossible.
Grammar: Used after the verb be or verbs like feel and get: the team was hemmed in by defenders.
Patterns
- be hemmed in by someone or something
- feel hemmed in
- get hemmed in
The village is hemmed in by steep hills on three sides, so the road out is the only way to leave.
By the second half our striker was hemmed in by three defenders and could not turn.
She felt hemmed in by the constant questions from journalists.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
Restricted in what you can do, so that you have little freedom or few choices.
Grammar: Often used about people in jobs, relationships or strict rules; usually follows be or feel.
Patterns
- be hemmed in by rules
- feel hemmed in
- be hemmed in by circumstances
He liked the salary but felt hemmed in by the company's endless rules.
Small shops say they are hemmed in by paperwork and rising rents.
After years of living with her parents, she began to feel hemmed in and wanted a place of her own.
Common combinations
- hemmed in by traffic
- We were hemmed in by traffic and missed the start of the film.
- hemmed in by walls
- The old garden is hemmed in by high brick walls.
- feel hemmed in
- Many teenagers feel hemmed in when their parents set strict curfews.
- hemmed in on all sides
- The camp was hemmed in on all sides by thick forest.
- get hemmed in
- Don't park there or you'll get hemmed in by the delivery vans.
Synonyms and how they differ
- surrounded
- Focuses on being enclosed on every side, often by people or things, but does not always suggest that escape is hard.
- trapped
- Stronger and more dramatic; it suggests there is no way out at all, while hemmed in can mean movement is merely difficult.
- confined
- More formal and often about small spaces or official limits rather than physical crowding.
- boxed in
- Very close in meaning and slightly more informal, often used about traffic or parking.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: hemmed in or hammered? hemmed in or hedged in?
hemmed in vs hammered
Sounds a little similar but means hit repeatedly or, informally, badly defeated; it has nothing to do with being surrounded.
hemmed in vs hedged in
A related phrase meaning limited or protected by conditions; hemmed in is about physical crowding or lack of freedom, while hedged in is about cautious conditions or literal hedges.
Practice
The goalkeeper was ___ by a crowd of players and could not reach the ball.
Choose one answer.
'Hemmed in' is the fixed phrase for being surrounded so movement is difficult. 'Hemmed up' and 'hemmed off' are not established English phrases, and 'hemmed out' wrongly suggests being kept outside rather than crowded around.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hemmed in”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.