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
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. 2019 Handling the team reps were Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert and Austin Walter, who overcame a hamstring issue Sunday. — Cam Inman, The Mercury News, "49ers training camp: Garoppolo leads Monday’s highlights," 29 July 2019 To make room on the roster for infielder Aledmys Diaz, who returned from a strained hamstring, manager A.J. Hinch selected to keep Urquidy and send down fellow rookie righty starter Rogelio Armenteros. — Hunter Atkins, Houston Chronicle, "Jose Urquidy remains on Astros' roster after Aledmys Diaz returns," 23 July 2019 So did Lavelle, who’d left the game in the 65th, also with a hamstring issue. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, "Megan Rapinoe, Rose Lavelle lead U.S. women to 2019 World Cup championship in France," 7 July 2019 Both participated in some individual drills as Brown continues to recover slowly from a Lisfranc (foot) injury and Boykin from a hamstring issue. — Mike Preston, baltimoresun.com, "Preston: Ravens need rookie WRs Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin to exceed expectations," 18 June 2019 Thompson, who missed Game 3 with a hamstring issue, has been super-efficient, 20-for-35, 57.1%. — Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, "Warriors’ Splash Brothers are on the spot in Game 6," 12 June 2019 News that Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa skipped the Manning Passing Academy due a hamstring injury a few weeks ago had Tide fans seeing crimson. — Matt Murschel, orlandosentinel.com, "Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa is healthy again, which is good news for Tide," 18 July 2019 But multiple hamstring injuries prevented him from reaching his potential in 2018. — Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, "Rafael Devers staying red hot at top of the order," 18 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
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. 2018 While there was no fine, the judge ordered sweeping changes to the way Qualcomm licenses patents that could hamstring its research and development spending going forward. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Qualcomm slapped with $271 million fine by European regulator for predatory pricing," 18 July 2019These 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