1To fit something into a frame or hole so that it sits snugly in place — slotting a pane into its frame, pushing a cork into a bottle, snapping a battery into its holder, or fastening a button.
新しい窓ガラスを額縁にぴったりはめた。
I fitted the new pane of glass snugly into the frame.
パズルの最後のピースをはめると絵が完成した。
When I fit in the last piece of the puzzle, the picture was complete.
リモコンの電池を裏側のケースにはめてください。
Please fit the batteries into the case on the back of the remote.
2To put on something that wraps around or encloses a body part (a ring, gloves, a helmet), or to attach a tube-like object by slipping it onto a fitting (a hose onto a tap).
結婚指輪を左手の薬指にはめた瞬間、本当に夫婦になったと実感した。
The moment I slipped the wedding ring onto my left ring finger, it really hit me that we were married.
寒いから、出かける前にちゃんと手袋をはめなさい。
It's cold, so put your gloves on properly before you head out.
ホースを蛇口にしっかりはめないと、水が漏れてしまう。
If you don't attach the hose firmly onto the tap, water will leak out.
3To force a person or situation into a fixed mold, category, or framework — often with the negative nuance of suppressing individuality or flexibility. Typically appears as 型にはめる or 枠にはめる.
子どもを画一的な型にはめるような教育には反対だ。
I'm against an educational approach that forces children into a one-size-fits-all mold.
個性的な人を会社の枠にはめようとしても、長くは続かないだろう。
Even if you try to fit a strong individualist into the company's framework, it probably won't last.
厳しい規則にはめられて、子どもたちが伸び伸びと遊べなくなっている。
Boxed in by strict rules, the children can no longer play freely.
4To entrap, deceive, or set someone up — luring a person into a disadvantageous situation through trickery. The set phrase 罠にはめる (to lure into a trap) is the most common form.
彼は同僚を罠にはめて、自分が出世しようとした。
He tried to climb the ladder by setting up his coworker.
SNSの偽情報で人をはめる詐欺が増えているらしい。
Scams that trick people using fake information on social media are apparently on the rise.
うっかり相手の話に乗せられて、まんまとはめられてしまった。
I carelessly went along with what they were saying and got completely taken in.
5(Slightly dated or more literary, broader usage) To put or throw something into a place or state. In modern spoken Japanese, 入れる, 投げ込む, or 追いやる are more natural for this meaning, and this bare sense is rarely used on its own — most uses get absorbed into sense 1, 3, or 4.
石を河に投げはめて遊んだ少年時代を思い出す。
I'm reminded of my boyhood, when I would toss stones into the river for fun.
6Vulgar slang meaning to have sex. Almost always written in katakana as ハメる. Crude and inappropriate in public or formal settings.
あの二人、付き合ってすぐにハメたらしいよ。
Apparently those two slept together right after they started dating.