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hemming

VERB

enclose, restrict

Synonyms

WEAK

begird beset border bound cage circle circumscribe close in confine corral define edge encircle encompass envelop environ fence fringe girdle hedge in immure margin pen rim ring round shut shut in skirt surround verge

Antonyms

WEAK

let go release

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He has also mocked allies uneasy about the widening conflict, referring to those who "wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force."

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

"The hemming wasn't right, the length wasn't right. You either go on parade right or you don't go at all."

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026

“They’re rolling their eyes at the price, hemming and hawing about it, but if people drink cold brew, they’re getting their cold brew,” said Pedeaux.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025

The goal was to just put a period on that phase of their life and just say, “Enough of the hemming and hawing. We’re walking forward either way.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2024

They circled slowly, hemming him in; bars of light forming a prison, a wall between him and the rest of the world; bars weaving a shifting wall of light into which he dared not go.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright