MEANING
Limit someone's ability to act freely, as if binding them.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- fetter discretion
- fetter progress
On the page
The conditions would fetter the council's discretion.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- fetter
- Past tense
- fettered
- Past participle
- fettered
- Present participle
- fettering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- fetter
- Present continuous
- am/is/are fettering
- Present perfect
- have/has fettered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been fettering
- Past
- fettered
- Past continuous
- was/were fettering
- Past perfect
- had fettered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been fettering
- Future
- will fetter
- Future continuous
- will be fettering
- Future perfect
- will have fettered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been fettering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: fetter; fetters; fettered; fettered; fettering Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation, evaluation. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: fetters.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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