chokehold

Or choke hold

[chohk-hohld]

noun

1. 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.

2. a stifling grip; stranglehold.

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

chokehold

/ ˈtʃəʊkˌhəʊld /

noun

1. the act of holding a person's neck across the windpipe, esp from behind using one arm

2. complete power or control

   the chokehold the mob has had on the town

Example Sentences

He “admits to putting the victim in a rear-naked chokehold...” and killing her.

From Los Angeles Times

The rise of cable loosened the networks’ chokehold on TV news and entertainment in the late 20th century.

From Salon

Yet England took little time to bust out of the attempted chokehold.

From BBC

Doak claimed that he had acted in self defence, putting Mr McNab in a chokehold after he attacked him with a glass bottle.

From BBC

There is little doubt that Bukele’s mass arrests starting in 2022 helped dismantle the gangs that once held this country in a chokehold.

From Los Angeles Times