golden handcuffs

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.

“The golden handcuffs aren’t so golden anymore,” said Stephanie Geveda, who previously oversaw business-services investing at private-equity firm Warburg Pincus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

According to Leo Peak, a real estate agent at Peak Family Real Estate Group, many homeowners are currently feeling the "golden handcuffs" effect of being locked into their homes by historically low mortgage rates.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2025

Some workers may now, post-layoff and with their golden handcuffs snipped, take the chance to find jobs more aligned with their values.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2023

Based solely on their earning power, a more “authentic” lifestyle would be a more modest one, but instead this looked as if they had traded a pair of golden handcuffs for a diamond bedroom set.

From Washington Post • Dec. 16, 2022

Ruggedo had no fear of Files or Ozga, but to be on the safe side he had ordered golden handcuffs placed upon their wrists.

From Tik-Tok of Oz by Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank)