strongman

Or strong man

[strawng-man, strong-]

noun

plural

strongmen 

1. a person who performs remarkable feats of strength, as in a circus.

2. a political leader who controls by force; dictator.

3. the most powerful or influential person in an organization or business, by reason of skill in the formulation and execution of plans, work, etc.

strongman

/ ˈstrɒŋˌmæn /

noun

1. a performer, esp one in a circus, who performs feats of strength

2. any person regarded as a source of power, capability, initiative, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of strongman¹

First recorded in 1855–60; strong + man

Example Sentences

While there are far fewer biographies of Franco than, for instance, of Churchill, books about the Spanish strongman are hardly scarce.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The 63-year-old strongman doesn’t believe he will get lasting amnesty, analysts said, feeling only safe among the cadre of loyal military men with whom he has spent a decade surrounding himself.

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After playing the song — on his first take, mind you — Turner paused, then popped up and did a strongman flex in triumph.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Even with U.S. warships offshore, the strongman has prevailed in efforts to unseat him—purging, spying and paying off officers so the armed forces remain loyal.

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If Hungary’s strongman prime minister, Viktor Orbán, remains firmly tethered to the Trumpist right and the cosplay intellectuals of the “national conservative” movement, he also looks to be sui generis in several ways.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• autocrat 
• despot 
• tyrant