hamstring
noun
ham·string
| \ ˈham-ˌstriŋ
\
\
Definition of hamstring
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: either of two groups of tendons at the back of the human knee
b
: any of three muscles at the back of the thigh that function to flex and rotate the leg and extend the thigh
2
: a large tendon above and behind the hock of a quadruped
hamstring
verb
hamstrung\ ˈham-ˌstrəŋ
\;
hamstringing\ ˈham-ˌstriŋ-iŋ
\
\;
hamstringing\ ˈham-ˌstriŋ-iŋ
\
Definition of hamstring (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to make ineffective or powerless : cripple
hamstrung by guilt
2
: to cripple by cutting the leg tendons
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Synonyms for hamstring
Synonyms: Verb
cripple, disable, immobilize, incapacitate, paralyze, prostrate
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Examples of hamstring in a Sentence
Verb
The mayor tried to hamstring our efforts by cutting the budget. The company claims it is being hamstrung by government regulations.Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Marte back in lineup Diamondbacks second baseman/center fielder Ketel Marte was leading off Thursday's starting lineup just two days after experiencing a right hamstring cramp in San Francisco. — Richard Morin, azcentral, "Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Luke Weaver excited about potential return," 29 Aug. 2019 On top of that, all of Mendy, Isco, Brahim, James and Rodrygo's ailments have been muscle-related, with majority of them coming in the hamstring area. — SI.com, "Real Madrid Issue Update on Isco Injury as Fitness Crisis Deepens," 28 Aug. 2019 Marte labored around the bases with what later was described as a hamstring cramp. — Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, "Giants fall six games below .500 at home after another low-octane defeat," 27 Aug. 2019 BRIEFLY Eddie Rosario was back in the lineup Tuesday for the Twins after missing part of last week with right hamstring tightness. — Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, "Twins halt Byron Buxton’s rehab assignment temporarily," 27 Aug. 2019 One of the most promising developments was the lack of soft-tissue injuries — groin and hamstring issues, specifically — and cramping through the offseason. — Tom Green | [email protected], al, "The delicate juggling act Ryan Russell handles in preparing Auburn for the season," 26 Aug. 2019 Cisneros’ hamstring had been ripped from his pelvic bone. — Elaine Ayala, ExpressNews.com, "At 72, former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros is unbowed by paragliding mishap," 27 July 2019 While there are some yoga poses that focus on strengthening the core, usually in a pose like a swan dive or forward fold, the cue is to lengthen the spine and stretch the hamstrings. — Stephanie Mansour, NBC News, "5 ways to avoid back pain during yoga class," 22 July 2019 Chicago Cubs All-Star catcher Willson Contreras has been put on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring. — BostonGlobe.com, "Sun win 7th straight," 4 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Contenders aren’t going to want to hamstring themselves to Paul’s contract. — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, "Can Chris Paul Afford to Break Up With James Harden and the Rockets?," 19 June 2019 Still, Thomas said, not having LMPD officers in JCPS buildings could also hamstring efforts to prevent violence in the community. — Darcy Costello, The Courier-Journal, "Schools won't have LMPD resource officers come August. Who will replace them?," 15 July 2019 Clashes between telecoms and banks hamstrung mobile banking applications in Nigeria. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, "Facebook’s Libra probably won’t help people without bank accounts," 27 June 2019 Losers: LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers Leonard took five days to decide to join the Clippers, hamstringing the Raptors and Lakers as the other major free agents signed elsewhere. — Ben Golliver, The Denver Post, "Winners and losers from the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George bombshell," 6 July 2019 Portland has been hamstrung by projects, like the Foster one, that often take years to move forward due to funding issues, community pushback or design challenges. — oregonlive.com, "3 people die in crashes hours after Portland celebrates traffic safety plan," 14 June 2019 If anything, that phrase undersold Mulvaney’s attempts to hamstring the agency as its chief. — Anjali Tsui, ProPublica, "How Payday Lenders Spent $1 Million at a Trump Resort — and Cashed In," 5 June 2019 City Councilman Joe Buscaino said Los Angeles has been hamstrung by a federal court injunction limiting ways to clean up homeless encampments. — Ian Lovett, WSJ, "Politics Is a Dirty Business—Starting with the Rats at Los Angeles City Hall," 10 Feb. 2019 If Trump fires the special counsel or substantively hamstrings his ability to pursue the Russia investigation to whatever end, Mueller won’t be able to fulfill that responsibility to the truth. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "Robert Mueller’s Nuclear Option," 11 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hamstring.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for hamstring
hamstring
noun
English Language Learners Definition of hamstring
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a tendon at the back of a person's knee
: a muscle at the back of a person's upper leg
hamstring
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of hamstring (Entry 2 of 2)
: to damage or ruin the force or effectiveness of (something or someone)
See the full definition for hamstring in the English Language Learners Dictionary
hamstring
noun
ham·string
| \ ˈham-ˌstriŋ
\
\
Medical Definition of hamstring
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: either of two groups of tendons bounding the upper part of the popliteal space at the back of the knee and forming the tendons of insertion of some muscles of the back of the thigh
b
: hamstring muscle
2
: a large tendon above and behind the hock of a quadruped corresponding to the human Achilles tendon
hamstring
transitive verb
hamstrung\ -ˌstrəŋ
\;
hamstringing\ -ˌstriŋ-iŋ
\
\;
hamstringing\ -ˌstriŋ-iŋ
\
Medical Definition of hamstring (Entry 2 of 2)
: to cripple by cutting the leg tendons
folklore has it that wolf packs try to hamstring their prey— John Madson