hammerlock
noun
ham·mer·lock
ˈha-mər-ˌläk 
: a wrestling hold in which an opponent's arm is held bent behind the back
broadly
: a strong hold
Examples of hammerlock in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
China has a hammerlock on production of most of the minerals involved in EVs.
—
Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2022
If Trump runs for president again in 2024, there is every chance he will be nominated but lose the general election, given his hammerlock on the conservative base but low general popularity.
—Ryan Cooper, The Week, 28 July 2021
Burlington at this point, for decades has been essentially a one party town with a relatively conservative Democratic ruling clique that has just had a hammerlock on city politics.
—New York Times, 5 Aug. 2021
By the time those two transferred, Jordan had a hammerlock on the position, eventually finishing his freshman season with 597 yards, six rushing touchdowns and Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors.
—Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 June 2021
The Fighting Illini outlasted the Buckeyes, seemingly putting a hammerlock on one of the four No. 1 seeds.
—Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Mar. 2021
The race to succeed him reflects changing demographics and voter attitudes in Texas that give Democrats hopes of breaking the longtime GOP political hammerlock on the Lone Star State.
—David Mark, Washington Examiner, 29 Sep. 2020
The Democrats seemed to have an even firmer hammerlock on Congress, having held the House continuously for 40 consecutive years by 1994.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 2 Mar. 2020
After three periods of a deadlock, the Clippers put the Lakers in a hammerlock, outscoring them in the final dozen minutes for a 112-102 victory in a game that epitomized the teams’ current stature in this town.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2019
Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2022
If Trump runs for president again in 2024, there is every chance he will be nominated but lose the general election, given his hammerlock on the conservative base but low general popularity.
—Ryan Cooper, The Week, 28 July 2021
Burlington at this point, for decades has been essentially a one party town with a relatively conservative Democratic ruling clique that has just had a hammerlock on city politics.
—New York Times, 5 Aug. 2021
By the time those two transferred, Jordan had a hammerlock on the position, eventually finishing his freshman season with 597 yards, six rushing touchdowns and Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors.
—Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 June 2021
The Fighting Illini outlasted the Buckeyes, seemingly putting a hammerlock on one of the four No. 1 seeds.
—Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Mar. 2021
The race to succeed him reflects changing demographics and voter attitudes in Texas that give Democrats hopes of breaking the longtime GOP political hammerlock on the Lone Star State.
—David Mark, Washington Examiner, 29 Sep. 2020
The Democrats seemed to have an even firmer hammerlock on Congress, having held the House continuously for 40 consecutive years by 1994.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 2 Mar. 2020
After three periods of a deadlock, the Clippers put the Lakers in a hammerlock, outscoring them in the final dozen minutes for a 112-102 victory in a game that epitomized the teams’ current stature in this town.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hammerlock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Hammerlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hammerlock. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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