choke hold

noun

1
: a hold that involves strong choking pressure applied to the neck of another
2
: absolute dominance or control
had a choke hold on the city's finances

Examples of choke hold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Katagiri previously tried to maintain a delicate peace between the different yakuza factions, but the arrival of detective Shoko Negate (Miki Maya) heralds a new, aggressive stance by the police to end the yakuza’s choke hold on the city. Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2024 The director indulges in major and minor stunts, staging plenty of scenes with cars rolling over to escape exploding bombs and characters escaping choke holds from people determined to kill them. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 States began working to ban choke holds and no-knock warrants, and cities rethought their entire approach to policing. Robert Samuels, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2023 One post showed a cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Uncle Sam in a choke hold with a caption that said there will never be a free Palestine until the United States is free of Israel. Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for choke hold 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'choke hold.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of choke hold was in 1964

Dictionary Entries Near choke hold

Cite this Entry

“Choke hold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/choke%20hold. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on choke hold

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!