hamstring
/ˈhæmstrɪŋ/
noun
- One of the five tendons at the back of the human knee, or the large muscle in the back of the upper leg.
- She pulled her hamstring while sprinting during the track meet.
- The athlete stretched her hamstrings carefully before the race.
- He felt a sharp pain in his hamstring after kicking the ball.
verb
- To severely limit or hinder the effectiveness or power of something.
- The team's star player was hamstrung by a minor injury during the playoffs.
- Lack of funding has hamstrung the research project for years.
- The new regulations could hamstring small businesses with excessive paperwork.
- To cripple or disable someone by cutting the hamstring tendons.
- The hunter had to hamstring the injured deer to prevent it from escaping.
- The warrior was trained to hamstring opponents quickly in close combat.
- In ancient battles, soldiers would hamstring enemy horses to stop the cavalry.