stranglehold

noun

stran·​gle·​hold ˈstraŋ-gəl-ˌhōld 

1

: an illegal wrestling hold by which one's opponent is choked

2

: a force or influence that stops something from growing or developing

… opened three stores within a year and got a stranglehold on market share.

—Inc.

Examples of stranglehold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rising energy, shipping and fertilizer costs fueled by Tehran’s stranglehold on the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route are already being felt in the United States, but the sharpest consequences are expected to fall on poorer, import-dependent countries unable to absorb the higher costs. —Kevin Collier, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026

One-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through the waterway, where Iran’s stranglehold during the war has sent energy prices soaring. —ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026

Iran can sustain a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. —Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026

Tehran has kept a stranglehold over the strait, driving up global oil prices and causing financial markets to tumble. —Michael Loria, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stranglehold

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

Kids Definition

stranglehold

noun

stran·​gle·​hold ˈstraŋ-gəl-ˌhōld 

1

: an illegal wrestling hold by which one's opponent is choked

2

: a force or influence that chokes or blocks freedom of development or expression