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

But the most obvious truths are sometimes worth reiterating when hostile forces, draping themselves in pseudo-concern for business and the economy, attempt to put a choke hold on art. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 May 2025

Conventional morality was no longer a choke hold on dramatic characters, who were allowed to set dangerous new precedents for audiences that may have been easily shocked but were by no means easily deterred. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025

Caton entered the property and punched his male neighbor several times before throwing him to the ground by his throat and placing him in a choke hold, leaving the neighbor with injuries to his face, head, neck and chest, according to the court record. —Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2025

During the argument, Thompson was seen putting Gonzalez in a choke hold, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Associated Press. —Kc Baker, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for choke hold

• copyhold
• decontrolled
• hundredfold
• manifold
• marigold
• oversold
• petioled
• sevenfold
• stranglehold
• subthreshold
• thousandfold
• uncontrolled