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• nelson
  nelson

  noun

  a hold in which pressure is applied to the head, back of the neck, and one or both arms of the opponent.
• Nelson
  Nelson

  noun

  Viscount Horatio, 1758–1805, British admiral.

nelson

¹ American  

[nel-suhn] / ˈnɛl sən /

noun

Wrestling.

nelsons plural

1. a hold in which pressure is applied to the head, back of the neck, and one or both arms of the opponent.

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Nelson ² American  

[nel-suhn] / ˈnɛl sən /

noun

1. Viscount Horatio, 1758–1805, British admiral.

2. (John) Byron, 1911–2006, U.S. golf player.

3. Prince Rogers. Prince.

4. a river in central Canada, flowing northeast from Lake Winnipeg to Hudson Bay. 400 miles (645 km) long.

5. a seaport on northern South Island, in New Zealand.

6. a male given name.

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Nelson ¹ British  

/ ˈnɛlsən /

noun

1. a town in NW England, in E Lancashire: textile industry. Pop: 28 998 (2001)

2. a port in New Zealand, on N South Island on Tasman Bay. Pop: 45 300 (2004 est)

3. a river in central Canada, in N central Manitoba, flowing from Lake Winnipeg northeast to Hudson Bay. Length: about 650 km (400 miles)

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Nelson ² British  

/ ˈnɛlsən /

noun

1. Horatio, Viscount Nelson. 1758–1805, British naval commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He became rear admiral in 1797 after the battle of Cape St Vincent and in 1798 almost destroyed the French fleet at the battle of the Nile. He was killed at Trafalgar (1805) after defeating Villeneuve's fleet

2. Willie. born 1933, US country singer and songwriter

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nelson ³ British  

/ ˈnɛlsən /

noun

1. any wrestling hold in which a wrestler places his arm or arms under his opponent's arm or arms from behind and exerts pressure with his palms on the back of his opponent's neck See full nelson half-nelson

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• nelsons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nelson

First recorded in 1885–90; special use of name Nelson

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nelson Nelson

But if Horford and the Celtics can keep the Bucks’ lightning bolt in a full nelson, then Milwaukee’s once-promising season will be in significant peril.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2019

At Poolesville’s practice, Dorsey needed his neck, as he thrust his head inside the crook of a student’s arm and explained the business end of a quarter nelson.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 20, 2015

The relationship between the two antic entertainers is like a half nelson after a series of handshakes.

From Time Magazine Archive

The professor of philosophy couldn't break the half nelson, though he struggled on.

From Time Magazine Archive

I had a pretty good half nelson on him.

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger

“We want to see companies ideally that have an open-ended growth opportunity in front of them,” for several quarters, or even for several years, Nelson said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

To summarize, Nelson said: “It is important to let winners run. Common mistakes are to sell winners too soon and keep losers for too long.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

When asked if signs of fatigue might include lengthening collection times after sales are booked, or narrowing gross margins, Nelson said those were good examples.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

Nelson works from home running her business which teaches wedding dance lessons to newlyweds, and summer is her busiest time.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

When it first appeared, Halley was about to embark on the typical wealthy young gentleman’s Grand Tour of Europe, accompanied by an old schoolfriend, Robert Nelson.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin