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
Chew On This
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The Most Beautiful Roof in the World
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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.
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
More recently, China has shown that it, too, wields potent leverage over other countries—including the U.S.—through its stranglehold on critical minerals essential for manufacturing everything from semiconductors to jet engines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
The purpose of the Bradley coalition, Sonenshein said, was to “break open the stranglehold of a city establishment that was ... unresponsive to the diversity of the community.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
I stiffly unlocked my stranglehold on his body and slipped to the ground, landing on my backside.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
