stranglehold

noun

stran·​gle·​hold ˈstraŋ-gəl-ˌhōld How to pronounce stranglehold (audio)
1
: an illegal wrestling hold by which one's opponent is choked
2
: a force or influence that chokes or suppresses freedom of movement or expression

Examples of stranglehold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That said, the last couple of years have been a testament to the NFL’s hegemonic stranglehold on our collective imagination, as the 2023 Commanders-Cowboys game averaged 41.76 million viewers on CBS, coming up just shy of Fox’s record performance the previous season (42.06 million). Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 5 Nov. 2024 If the scene of Kathryn Hahn choking Aubrey Plaza didn’t already put you in a sapphic stranglehold, rest assured some very gay things seem bound to happen on the Disney+ WandaVision spinoff. James Factora, Them, 27 Sep. 2024 And without international consensus on how to deal with Lebanon given Hezbollah’s stranglehold on the state, Israel risks locking the IDF into another scenario in which military tools are expected to resolve fundamentally political questions. Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2024 But until there’s more tangible evidence of forward progress, the Angels are still the Angels — giving the Astros yet another reason not to worry about their stranglehold on this division. Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 23 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stranglehold 

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stranglehold was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near stranglehold

Cite this Entry

“Stranglehold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stranglehold. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

stranglehold

noun
stran·​gle·​hold ˈstraŋ-gəl-ˌhōld How to pronounce stranglehold (audio)
1
: an illegal wrestling hold by which one's opponent is choked
2
: a force or influence that chokes or blocks freedom of development or expression

More from Merriam-Webster on stranglehold

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