as in to intimidate
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
developers trying to strong-arm homeowners into selling their houses at below-market prices
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Recent Examples of strong-arm
Hezbollah, for the longest time, was strong-arming other parties, and they are accused of assassinating a former Prime Minister.
—
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Now, the question of whether the US could again use force – or tactics like tariffs or sanctions – to strong-arm countries into choosing Washington’s interests over ties with China is a viable risk being evaluated in the region’s capitals.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
The government has previously tried to charge Lemon in a steadily escalating campaign involving a string of highly unusual legal moves to strong-arm courts into conceding to its demands.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The White House’s push to suppress the Smithsonian’s programming is part of an attempt to strong-arm influential cultural institutions and, in turn, culture itself.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strong-arm
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Now, the question of whether the US could again use force – or tactics like tariffs or sanctions – to strong-arm countries into choosing Washington’s interests over ties with China is a viable risk being evaluated in the region’s capitals.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
The government has previously tried to charge Lemon in a steadily escalating campaign involving a string of highly unusual legal moves to strong-arm courts into conceding to its demands.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The White House’s push to suppress the Smithsonian’s programming is part of an attempt to strong-arm influential cultural institutions and, in turn, culture itself.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strong-arm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strong-arm
Verb
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Defendants face charges under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and conspiracy statutes and are accused of intimidating worshippers and disrupting religious services.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
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While some online say their attire looks intimidating, people who have worked with them personally say otherwise.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On an afternoon Brandt Clarke, Adrian Kempe and Drew Doughty took turns trying to bully the Avalanche, Colorado reached around and gave the Kings a Wedgie.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
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People just want to bully and get the likes and say the rage bait comment.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s a gentle way of saying that those institutions must be prepared, at times, to coerce.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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My old company, Whitewater Films, hired me to write a sports comedy — Puckheads — about an aging minor league hockey enforcer who gets coerced into playing for a cartel in Mexico City.—
Nick Morton,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strong-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strong-arm. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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