headlock

noun

head·​lock ˈhed-ˌläk How to pronounce headlock (audio)
: a hold in which a wrestler encircles an opponent's head with one arm

Examples of headlock in a Sentence

He had me in a headlock.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Others were spit on, bitten, placed in headlocks and verbally threatened with violence. Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025 Somebody’s now in a headlock, and there’s a surge of packed bodies moving in a swelling tide of shirt-tugging and shouting. Jonathan Terrell, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025 The victim, identified as Eli Jordan Walker, told police that Rhodes, who was wearing a gorilla suit, put him in a headlock while Robinson, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, allegedly repeatedly kicked and punched him before stealing his shoes. Doc Louallen, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2025 But the line is wildly popular—the launch of a collaboration with the street artist KAWS sparked a frenzy in China in 2019, with shoppers crawling under shutters, removing clothes from mannequins, and putting one another in headlocks to get the shirts before they were gone. Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for headlock

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of headlock was in 1876

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Headlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headlock. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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