arm-twisting
noun
arm-twist·ing
ˈärm-ˌtwi-stiŋ 
plural arm-twistings
: the act or practice of forcing or obliging people to do things they do not want to do in order to achieve a desired end
His mastery of the Congress was celebrated … mostly because of his arm-twisting … in lining up votes.—
Joe Klein
Joe KleinPlaying the violin, she reminds people, was always something she wanted to do; no parental arm-twisting was necessary.—K. Robert Schwarz
K. Robert Schwarz
arm-twist
transitive verb
arm-twisted; arm-twisting; arm-twists
[Aubrey] Plaza's character could be presented as a victim of circumstance, the clichéd heist-movie character arm-twisted into one last job.
—Ross Douthat
Ross Douthat
arm-twister
noun
plural arm-twisters
Call them the arm-twisters—the senior campaign aides and Democratic leaders who are in the forefront of courting, cajoling, and capturing the superdelegates.
—Kenneth T. Walsh et al.
Kenneth T. Walsh et al.
Examples of arm-twisting in a Sentence
it took some arm-twisting, but they eventually agreed to make a donation
Recent Examples on the Web
This big, beautiful bill fulfills all the promises in the America First agenda.
SCOTT (voice over): But getting it over the finish line took arm-twisting and deal-making.
—ABC News, 6 July 2025
The president's arm-twisting ahead of a House Rules Committee meeting currently set for 1am Wednesday puts heavy pressure on GOP holdouts on a range of sticking points.
—Daniel Moore, Axios, 20 May 2025
American cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church described the historic papal conclave that concluded this week as relatively easy, with no arm-twisting or overt politicking.
—Elizabeth Dias, New York Times, 10 May 2025
Thune has also tried to describe Trump’s arm-twisting of Zelensky in nobler language.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
After a long day of arm-twisting and internal party clashes, House Republicans on Tuesday narrowly passed their plan to advance President Donald Trump's legislative agenda.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
But after some arm-twisting from a publisher, her journals were soon released as a book.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2025
What about the shrill speculations that nefarious Trumpian arm-twisting was involved which pressured Netanyahu to comply?
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Israel, often skeptical of UN solutions, would likely need some convincing to back a trusteeship, up to and including the type of U.S. arm-twisting seen recently over weapons shipments.
—Lloyd Axworthy, Foreign Affairs, 15 May 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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ABC News, 6 July 2025
The president's arm-twisting ahead of a House Rules Committee meeting currently set for 1am Wednesday puts heavy pressure on GOP holdouts on a range of sticking points.
—Daniel Moore, Axios, 20 May 2025
American cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church described the historic papal conclave that concluded this week as relatively easy, with no arm-twisting or overt politicking.
—Elizabeth Dias, New York Times, 10 May 2025
Thune has also tried to describe Trump’s arm-twisting of Zelensky in nobler language.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
After a long day of arm-twisting and internal party clashes, House Republicans on Tuesday narrowly passed their plan to advance President Donald Trump's legislative agenda.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
But after some arm-twisting from a publisher, her journals were soon released as a book.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2025
What about the shrill speculations that nefarious Trumpian arm-twisting was involved which pressured Netanyahu to comply?
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Israel, often skeptical of UN solutions, would likely need some convincing to back a trusteeship, up to and including the type of U.S. arm-twisting seen recently over weapons shipments.
—Lloyd Axworthy, Foreign Affairs, 15 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Arm-twisting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arm-twisting. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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