stranglehold
Americannoun
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Wrestling. an illegal hold by which an opponent's breath is choked off.
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a restraining hold in which one person uses an arm to encircle the neck of another; a chokehold.
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any force or influence that restricts the free actions or development of a person or thing; a stifling grip.
to break the stranglehold of superstition.
noun
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a wrestling hold in which a wrestler's arms are pressed against his opponent's windpipe See also Japanese stranglehold
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complete power or control over a person or situation
Etymology
Origin of stranglehold
Explanation
In wrestling, a stranglehold is a strong grip around an opponent's neck. Figuratively, you have a stranglehold on something (or someone) when you have complete control over it. The powerful hold that's also known as a chokehold is used in various martial arts, as well as police and military training. A true stranglehold does just what its name describes, constricting a person's breathing. Even if someone doesn't literally have you by the neck, you might feel a stranglehold being exerted by things like stress, deadlines, or debt.
Vocabulary lists containing stranglehold
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Compound Fracture
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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.
This quartet from Kyoto, Japan, put the Mosswood crowd in a stranglehold at the Field Stage and didn’t let up once during its entire set of math-rocky, manic, candy-colored fury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
For anyone who cares about video games as art and has bemoaned the ever-tightening corporate stranglehold over visual entertainment and its archives, Sony’s disc phaseout is an earth-shattering quake that’s not to be taken lightly.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Lewin insists that he approve even routine payments, creating a stranglehold on funding and information.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
China’s stranglehold on global rare earths is especially strong in the heavier elements, which are mined in China and few other places.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
When the field caught him, Seabiscuit bounced away again, winning by three lengths under a stranglehold.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
