irons

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of iron. Use this form when you mean more than one iron.

   The golfer carried several irons in his bag.

   She pressed the shirts with two different irons.

   Note
2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular of iron. Use this form with he, she, or it.

   She irons her work shirts every Sunday night.

   He irons the tablecloth before every family dinner.

   Note
3. 3
   noundatedcountableplural

   Metal chains or rings locked around a prisoner's wrists or ankles.

   Like handcuffs joined by a heavy metal chain.

   The guards clapped the captured sailor in irons.

   He spent three days in irons in the ship's dark hold.

   Similarchains, shackles, fetters, manacles

   Note
4. 4
   nouncountableplural

   The metal foot supports that hang from a saddle for a rider's feet.

   Like the foot pedals on a bike, but they hang from a saddle.

   She slipped her boots into the irons and gathered the reins.

   Keep your heels down and your feet steady in the irons.

   Similarstirrups

   Note
5. 5
   nounplural

   When a sailing boat stops moving because it is pointed straight into the wind.

   Like a car that stalls and won't move forward.

   The little dinghy was stuck in irons just past the buoy.

   We drifted into irons and lost all our speed.

   Note

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