clothesline
verb
clotheslined; clotheslining; clotheslines
: to knock down (someone, such as a football player) by catching by the neck with an outstretched arm
Examples of clothesline in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fletcher clotheslined Takeshita and then hit him with the belt as Rocky Romero and Mark Davis held him up.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
The fight returned to the ring, and Rhodes clotheslined Fatu to the outside before hitting a dive.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
The second foul seemed more egregious, as DeRozan clotheslined Larsson but nonetheless avoided a flagrant 2 foul.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
The move, which Legion of Doom famously used by clotheslining an opponent down, seemed to go wrong as Breakker landed badly, and seemed a bit dazed after the spot.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clothesline
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
The fight returned to the ring, and Rhodes clotheslined Fatu to the outside before hitting a dive.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
The second foul seemed more egregious, as DeRozan clotheslined Larsson but nonetheless avoided a flagrant 2 foul.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
The move, which Legion of Doom famously used by clotheslining an opponent down, seemed to go wrong as Breakker landed badly, and seemed a bit dazed after the spot.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clothesline
Cite this Entry
“Clothesline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clothesline. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
