ball and chain
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.
High prices have hobbled Americans with a ball and chain.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 15, 2025
As time went on, Veasley said her pain became like a ball and chain that got heavier and heavier.
From Salon • Oct. 9, 2023
New monuments have gone up elsewhere, including Brown University’s Slavery Memorial sculpture - a partially buried ball and chain - and the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers under construction at the University of Virginia.
From Washington Times • Dec. 14, 2019
R.E.M. called irony “the shackles of youth,” and he drags it around like a Styrofoam ball and chain.
From New York Times • Apr. 17, 2019
He was dressed like an old-time prisoner, complete with a ball and chain around one foot.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
