stranglehold
noun
stran·gle·hold
| \ ˈstraŋ-gəl-ˌhōld
\
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Definition of stranglehold
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
The Tornadoes have had a recent stranglehold on the Pacific League. — Charles Rich, Glendale News-Press, "Boys’ Water Polo Preview: Hoover seeks to rule Pacific League waters again," 30 Aug. 2019 The country was rich in oil, diamonds, gold, iron and farmland, but a small number of businesses kept a stranglehold on commerce. — USA Today, "Were Wanda Tucker’s ancestors America’s first slaves? A difficult search for answers in far-away Angola," 22 Aug. 2019 By Toby Cudworth There are few managers over the past 35 years who have been able to break Barcelona and Real Madrid's stranglehold of La Liga. — Ben Carter, SI.com, "The 50 Greatest Football Managers of All Time," 20 Aug. 2019 The Trump administration has added to this economic stranglehold with its decisions to cut both direct US aid to the West Bank and Gaza and its support for UNRWA. — Rashid Khalidi, The New York Review of Books, "The Neocolonial Arrogance of the Kushner Plan," 12 June 2019 Further Reading Black Ops 4 ditches single-player campaign, adds battle royale mode Other big-name PC game makers are increasingly trying to get around Valve's stranglehold on the market as well. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Valve changes developer terms to try to retain top games," 3 Dec. 2018 China has a stranglehold on the world’s supply of rare-earth metals—elements vital to every aspect of modern technology from display screens to antimissile systems. — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, "Recycling Efforts May Undermine China’s Rare-Earth Monopoly," 27 July 2019 The colleagues Haddad referred to were a motley group of activists who had banded together in pursuit of a single objective—to find a way to get affordable AIDS medicine to those who needed it most, free from the stranglehold of patents. — Katherine Eban, Quartz India, "How an Indian tycoon fought Big Pharma to sell AIDS drugs for $1 a day," 15 July 2019 In music, the stranglehold of the canon, and its continual misuse as a benchmark, is a tremendous obstacle to many female musicians and musicians of color. — Washington Post, "Women give voice to a male canon. It happens to be ancient Greek.," 12 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stranglehold.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for stranglehold
stranglehold
noun
English Language Learners Definition of stranglehold
: an illegal hold in wrestling by which your opponent is choked
: a force or influence that stops something from growing or developing
See the full definition for stranglehold in the English Language Learners Dictionary