headlock

American

[hed-lok] / ˈhɛdˌlɒk /

noun

Wrestling.

a hold in which a wrestler locks an arm around the opponent's head.

headlock British

/ ˈhɛdˌlɒk /

noun

a wrestling hold in which a wrestler locks his opponent's head between the crook of his elbow and the side of his body

"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 headlock

First recorded in 1900–05; head + 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:

headlock

From behind, a bystander—the man Australian officials identified as Ahmed—bear-tackled the assailant, put him in a headlock and stripped his gun from him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

The weekend has netted him a total of 33 points and put a headlock on the championship.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025

In his latest on-screen antic, ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host Pat Sajak put a contestant in a partial headlock after the man won more than $75,000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2023

The stunt coordinator asked Mr. LeBell — a former national judo champion and professional wrestler — to teach Mr. Lee a lesson, perhaps with a headlock.

From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2022

From here, it was an easy headlock into an even easier pin.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

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