1. metal chains or restraints used to bind a person’s hands or feet
2. something that restricts freedom or prevents progress
Usage: figurative

1. to put shackles on someone; to chain or restrain
2. to restrict or limit someone’s freedom or ability to act
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The prisoner’s shackles clanked as he walked across the courtroom.
• She broke free from the shackles of her oppressive job.
• The guards shackled the dangerous criminal before transport.
• Poverty can shackle a person’s opportunities for advancement.
• The heavy iron shackles left marks on his wrists.
• Traditional expectations shackled her artistic expression.
• They removed the shackles once he was safely in his cell.