chokehold

American

[chohk-hohld] / ˈtʃoʊkˌhoʊld /

Or choke hold

noun

a restraining hold in which one person encircles the neck of another in a viselike grip with the arm, usually approaching from behind.

The suspect was put in a chokehold and was gasping for breath.
a stifling grip; stranglehold.

a company that once had a chokehold over the PC market.

chokehold British

/ ˈtʃəʊkˌhəʊld /

noun

the act of holding a person's neck across the windpipe, esp from behind using one arm
complete power or control

the chokehold the mob has had on the town

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Wall Street Journal studied radar satellite imagery and specialist data to create pictures of the chokehold at the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Earlier this week, the U.S. promised tankers protection through the Persian Gulf, if necessary, assuaging some of the market’s concerns about the effects of a Hormuz chokehold.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

Cooper promised more "assertive action" to "tighten the chokehold" on the shadow fleet with more "disruption" and "enforcement measures".

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

DHS and Bovino did not respond to questions about their agents’ preparation or about the chokehold in Charlotte.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026

Now colored folks like Ophie and her mother, historically in bondage, exercised the freedom they did have to make their way to the city, escaping the chokehold of Jim Crow.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023