strongman

American  

[strawng-man, strong-] / ˈstrɔŋˌmæn, ˈstrɒŋ- /

Or strong man

noun

plural

strongmen

1. a person who performs remarkable feats of strength, as in a circus.

2. a political leader who controls by force; dictator.

3. the most powerful or influential person in an organization or business, by reason of skill in the formulation and execution of plans, work, etc.

---

strongman British  

/ ˈstrɒŋˌmæn /

noun

1. a performer, esp one in a circus, who performs feats of strength

2. any person regarded as a source of power, capability, initiative, etc

---

Etymology

Origin of strongman

First recorded in 1855–60; strong + man

Example Sentences

Plato saw it as an inevitable consequence of democracy, when a quest for freedom leads to excess and the populace demands a strongman.

From Salon

The moment also marked a victory for the son of Cuban immigrants who has long sought to confront the hemisphere’s strongmen.

From The Wall Street Journal

Such contracts were priced at just 8 cents apiece, implying that Polymarket users saw only an 8% probability of the Venezuelan strongman losing power this month, the platform’s data shows.

From The Wall Street Journal

The strongman rejected that offer, as well as similar ones that followed.

From The Wall Street Journal

Investors will also be watching closely for market impacts of the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s strongman president, Nicolás Maduro, who has been transported to New York.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• autocrat
• despot
• tyrant