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
The rooms were filled with artifacts of strongmen and strongwomen throughout history, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Josephine Blatt, a turn-of-the-century weightlifter known as Minerva.
—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
The president’s Wednesday message about Xi echoes some of his past friendly and even admiring language toward the Chinese leader – one of a handful of strongmen that Trump has praised or lauded close relations with throughout his political career.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
Journalists and scholars have drawn parallels between his leadership style and that of strongmen abroad.
—Daniel Treisman, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
But Carlyle’s unrelentingly bleak vision, his insistence on hierarchy, his veneration of strongmen, don’t look so out of place in today’s reality.
—Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for strongman
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.
The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
The president’s Wednesday message about Xi echoes some of his past friendly and even admiring language toward the Chinese leader – one of a handful of strongmen that Trump has praised or lauded close relations with throughout his political career.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
Journalists and scholars have drawn parallels between his leadership style and that of strongmen abroad.
—Daniel Treisman, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
But Carlyle’s unrelentingly bleak vision, his insistence on hierarchy, his veneration of strongmen, don’t look so out of place in today’s reality.
—Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for strongman
Cite this Entry
“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strongman. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share