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.
Inc.Examples of stranglehold in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Moe’s entire tenure coincided with the Lakers’ stranglehold on the West.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2026
But if Daniels is healthy and finds comfort in the new system, Washington has a chance to bounce back in an NFC East where the Philadelphia Eagles’ stranglehold appears to be weakening and where the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys are trying to figure things out.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Our bill would be a monumental step towards ending the stranglehold that corporate giants have on our broken health care system.
—Caitlin Huey-Burns, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
But between globalization, changing business models, financial crises and Brexit, Britain’s stranglehold on apparel and textile production has weakened considerably.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stranglehold
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.
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2026
But if Daniels is healthy and finds comfort in the new system, Washington has a chance to bounce back in an NFC East where the Philadelphia Eagles’ stranglehold appears to be weakening and where the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys are trying to figure things out.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Our bill would be a monumental step towards ending the stranglehold that corporate giants have on our broken health care system.
—Caitlin Huey-Burns, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
But between globalization, changing business models, financial crises and Brexit, Britain’s stranglehold on apparel and textile production has weakened considerably.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stranglehold
Cite this Entry
“Stranglehold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stranglehold. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
