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hammerlock

American

[ham-er-lok] / ˈhæm ərˌlɒk /

Or hammer lock

noun

Wrestling.

a hold in which one arm of an opponent is twisted and forced upward behind his back.

hammerlock British

/ ˈhæməˌlɒk /

noun

a wrestling hold in which a wrestler twists his opponent's arm upwards behind his back

"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

Etymology

Origin of hammerlock

First recorded in 1895–1900; hammer + lock ¹

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.

See Examples For:

hammerlock

CEO Lisa Su is an immensely respected tech boss who has guided AMD through a challenging period and is incrementally closing the gap on Nvidia’s hammerlock on the market for data center chips and processors.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

One night recently on ABC’s “20-20,” reporter John Stossel tried to put a hammerlock on the “sport” known as pro wrestling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023

Together, they planned to take on Google’s hammerlock on the internet.

From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

Pittsburgh’s one-sided loss to New England in playoffs still much work to be done to break New England’s hammerlock on AFC.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 20, 2017

For myself when I look at you an' know all the happiness you got a hammerlock on.

From The Valley of the Moon by Jack London

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