0 to limit the amount of something that can be done or the ability or power of someone to do something:
The company was hamstrung by traditional but inefficient ways of conducting business.
1 any of five tendons (= pieces of tissue connecting muscles to bones) at the back of the knee:
2 to prevent an activity, or to block the effectiveness of someone or something:
The company is hamstrung by its traditional but inefficient ways of doing business.
Here they will be hamstrung and restricted by one thing or another.
The industry, however, is at present hamstrung by unfair trade.
They will be hamstrung in capital terms, in just the same way as management buy-outs in any other industry have been.
How can we help ourselves if we are hamstrung by regulations?
I may point out that the efforts of the water boards are really hamstrung by interest charges.
We have made it clear in the past that we shall not be rushed into giving specific dates and thereby being hamstrung by them.
In my view, unless the problem of national assistance is solved, local government authorities will be hamstrung.
In that way they were entirely hamstrung and were generally unable to proceed with their schemes unless they went elsewhere for their loans.
