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

From Time Magazine Archive

In the four years since Dino Gentili clamped a half nelson on Italy's China trade, he has pushed it from almost zero to $1,000,000-plus a month.

From Time Magazine Archive

All of a sudden--for no good reason, really, except that I was sort of in the mood for horsing around--I felt like jumping off the washbowl and getting old Stradlater in a half nelson.

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

Jesy Nelson calls plan to test newborns for life-limiting muscle condition a 'victory'

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

There is also an array of music genres heard throughout the show, with artists ranging from the Talking Heads to Willie Nelson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

But becoming a millionaire overnight offers a convenient retirement plan for many of America’s aging farmers, especially in a tough farm economy, Nelson of the Illinois Farm Bureau said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Video of the confrontation appears to show Nelson idling in a snowy strip mall parking lot in his gray Dodge Ram when another driver in an even larger pickup pulls in beside him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

We tried to get ready for bed, but all we could hear was Nelson outside whimpering to be allowed to come in, and we became scared out of our minds.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver