/ˈʃæklz/
shackles
BrE /ˈʃæklz/
NAmE /ˈʃæklz/
[pl.]
two metal rings joined together by a chain and placed around a prisoner’s wrists or ankles to prevent them from escaping or moving easily
~ (of sth)
(formal)
a particular state, set of conditions or circumstances, etc. that prevent you from saying or doing what you want
a country struggling to free itself from the shackles of colonialism