Meaning & use
Shackle
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A metal fastening, typically a ring or link, used to bind the wrists or ankles of a prisoner or to secure a chain.
See it in a sentence
The blacksmith forged a heavy iron shackle for the ship's anchor chain.
New regulations shackle small businesses with excessive paperwork.
A note on using this word
Beyond its literal use in restraint, 'shackle' often appears figuratively to describe anything that limits freedom of action, as in 'the shackles of debt.'
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. verb
to restrain someone with shackles, or to limit or restrict figuratively
New regulations shackle small businesses with excessive paperwork.
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