strong-arm

1 of 2

adjective

: having or using undue force

strong-arm

2 of 2

verb

strong-armed; strong-arming; strong-arms

transitive verb

1
a
: to use force on : assault
2
: to rob by force

Examples of strong-arm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In the most recent legislative session, Abbott tried and failed to strong-arm Texas Republicans into passing a universal-school-voucher bill. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2024 Netflix is already trying to strong-arm customers onto its ad plan. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2024 Adil, like Salemi, delivered a message in his comments for Currey: No one will be penalized by trying to strong-arm the MDC’s professional managers into acting to provide a financial benefit to a board member, their family or a favored friend. Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2024 But two of the biggest chains appear to be at odds over how they most effectively strong-arm companies like Unilever and PepsiCo into dropping prices. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 8 Jan. 2024 The move was the latest broadside — encouraged by the French government — to try to strong-arm manufacturers to lower food costs that have continued to buffet families despite a broad slowdown in price increases across Europe. Liz Alderman, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2024 But strong-arm tactics are not the main focus of Temu's latest court filing against the fast-fashion juggernaut, according to Scafidi. Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2023 And that danger was more acute on account of my intent to be fair, ethical, moral — no stretching my dope with acetone, propane or extra baking soda nor shorting customers grams; no plotting how to strong-arm somebody else’s dope or stash. Mitchell S. Jackson, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023 Its bid to strong-arm Europe through gas and energy exports may have failed, but the Kremlin has other tools at its disposal, one of which concerns the global supply of food. Michael Kimmage and Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2023
Verb
Don’t try and strong-arm anyone into supporting you, because that certainly won’t leave anyone impressed. Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2023 On Thursday Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne invoked Article 49 of the French constitution, which enabled the Macron government to strong-arm a bill through the National Assembly without a vote. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2023 Both Sides Win In a difficult market, taking a strong-arm position may backfire. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2023 Government shouldn’t ban their working situation in order to empower labor organizers to strong-arm them into joining a union. The Editors, National Review, 2 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strong-arm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1897, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of strong-arm was in 1897

Dictionary Entries Near strong-arm

Cite this Entry

“Strong-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strong-arm. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!