iron hand

[ ahy-ern hand ]

See synonyms for iron hand on Thesaurus.com

noun

strict, harsh, or autocratic, often ruthless control: The general governed the country with an iron hand.

Origin of iron hand

First recorded in 1840–50

Also iron fist .

Words Nearby iron hand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use iron hand in a sentence

Jack not only ran the noon games — with an iron hand — but was, more often than not, the best player.
Philadelphia says goodbye to an icon, and the Palestra will never feel the same | John Feinstein | November 6, 2020 | Washington Post
At 75, the spirited Pacha founder, Ricardo Urgell, keeps an iron hand on his empire.
The Battle to Be King of Ibiza Nightlife | Melanie Mendelewitsch | October 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
There is no doubt that, had necessity with her iron hand compelled him, he would have been an excellent painter.
Charles Baudelaire, His Life | Thophile Gautier
To a great extent the army, ever partial to the iron hand, has given it the support of its great power.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 81, July, 1864 | Various
But the count once more expatiated on the iron hand indispensable for children as well as for the people.
Bouvard and Pcuchet, part 2 | Gustave Flaubert

While it lasted we literally and constantly meet with the “iron hand under the velvet glove.”
Armour in England | J. Starkie Gardner
The iron hand of Nemesis seemed reaching out to grasp Nevill, and he shuddered as he realized his danger.
In Friendship's Guise | Wm. Murray Graydon

British Dictionary definitions for iron hand

iron hand

noun

harsh or rigorous control; overbearing or autocratic force: he ruled with an iron hand

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with iron hand

iron hand

Rigorous control, as in He ruled the company with an iron hand. This usage is sometimes put as iron hand in a velvet glove, meaning “firm but seemingly gentle control,” as in She runs the town with an iron hand in a velvet glove. [c. 1700]

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