to trammel
- verb
- /ˈtræməl/
- Formal
- If the assassination could trammel up the consequence and catch with his surcease success, that but this blow might be the be-all and end-all here.
Examples
-
I picked up a chair in the hope of trammeling with its four legs the belt and the buckle that were making a noise like a bull-roarer.
Fiction book (1995) -
A hutch to trammel some wild thing in.
-
Power limits have long served to trammel those looking to break world records in the great computational race.
Blog text (8) -
He did it and no lesser law trammeled him.
-
As my anxiety began to trammel my reason, I started to repack my duffel.
Fiction book (2001) -
They'll trammel under!
-
If the assassination could trammel up the consequence… and catch with his surcease, success.
-
But seriously, under the spell of his eloquence, I could see once again the vast herd of buffalo and savage redskin roaming our beautiful territory with no law to trammel them except the law of survival, the law of the tomahawk and the bow and arrow.
-
The fact that the government has usurped and trammeled individual rights, and that a lazy and self-indulgent citizenry has allowed that to happen, doesn't negate a first principle, Warren.
Blog text (34) -
The new regulations will trammel the company's ability to innovate and grow in the market.
Synonyms
To control how much or how often something happens
To catch and hold someone or something so they cannot leave
Limit how much people can use or access something
Keep someone or something within limits, for example in a small space
To limit or control something to stop it getting worse
To make it harder for someone or something to move forward
To catch something, often by using a trap or a trick
To trap someone or something, often by a trick when they are in a difficult situation
To form the edge or limit of an area
To catch a person or animal by tricking them so they cannot escape
To reduce or control how much of something is allowed
To limit someone's freedom, power, or plans
To hold back or make it hard for someone to act freely
Stop someone from using their power or doing what they want
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
A fishing net with three layers that traps fish in the loose middle layer
How Restrictive
- US
- Formal
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb trammel comes from the old word for a net made of three meshes, from parts like tre- and mail meaning 'three' and 'mesh'. So, to trammel someone is to catch, hold, or limit them as if in a net.