strongman
noun
strong·man
ˈstrȯŋ-ˌman 
: one who leads or controls by force of will and character or by military methods
Examples of strongman in a Sentence
a Latin-American strongman who basically treated his nation's coffers as his personal bank account
Recent Examples on the Web
Would any of these players be enticed to negotiate to avoid ending like the Venezuelan strongman?
—
Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
Peace for Rome was tantamount to victory for Rome – or, as in this case, for one of Rome’s strongmen.
—Timothy Joseph, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
Even so, although the President’s intrinsic sympathies are with strongmen—Putin, Orbán, Kim—his strategic interests in Iran are with the protesters.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
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Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
Peace for Rome was tantamount to victory for Rome – or, as in this case, for one of Rome’s strongmen.
—Timothy Joseph, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
Even so, although the President’s intrinsic sympathies are with strongmen—Putin, Orbán, Kim—his strategic interests in Iran are with the protesters.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Cite this Entry
“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strongman. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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