chiefly US
: having a fierce, relentless, or aggressive character
a take-no-prisoners attitude
… McGraw is actually famous for his blunt, take-no-prisoners style of therapy.—
Marc Peyser
Marc Peyser… the kind of scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners writing style she had become notorious for.—Kirsten Fleming
Kirsten FlemingHe is one of a kind—a maverick with a take-no-prisoners approach to the wine business.—Wine Spectator
Wine SpectatorThe long-distance marketers are now digging in for a take-no-prisoners strategy to keep a tight grip on their $70 billion industry …—Kate Fitzgerald
Kate Fitzgeraldtake no prisoners
2 of 2idiomatic phrase
: to be aggressively harsh, tough, or relentless (as in pursuing a goal, exploiting an advantage, or expressing criticism)
a politician who takes no prisoners
His record as a tough, capable administrator somehow manages to satisfy both Pentagon hard-liners and State Department moderates. "He takes no prisoners," says a U.S. official …—Daniel Eisenberg
Daniel EisenbergThat show featured Barbara Frum, who was simply one of the most important, most fearless TV journalists this country has ever seen. … She took no prisoners in those interviews.—John Cairns
John CairnsLike their private sector counterparts, … [they] have been known to take no prisoners when competing for contracts.—Willie Schatz
Willie SchatzMr. Smith takes no prisoners as he lambastes a policy he believes was misguided and mistaken from the beginning.—Walter Russell Mead
Walter Russell MeadExamples of take-no-prisoners in a Sentence
Adjective
a theater critic with a take-no-prisoners approach to reviewing Broadway's latest offerings
Recent Examples on the Web
Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2025
Karen Read and her attorney Alan Jackson, who just signed on to the latest twist in this take-no-prisoners legal struggle, aren’t sweating the sad wrongful-death suit brought in Plymouth County by John O’Keefe’s family.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2025
Hackman plays a take-no-prisoners FBI agent, Rupert Anderson, who is investigating the disappearance of three young civil rights workers in racially segregated 1964 Mississippi.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025
Depending on your perspective, of course, some of these use cases might not be unethical, but the tension between these survey answers encouraged me: far from being nihilistic, take-no-prisoners cheaters, my students seemed genuinely confused.
—Piers Gelly
july 28, Literary Hub, 28 July 2025
But Groff’s take-no-prisoners performance as nightclub superstar Bobby Darin is pure Broadway, and thoroughly – and more than justifiably – winning.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 June 2025
Harrison confidently adopts the take-no-prisoners physicality that makes Zephyr a worthy foe for Tucker, but her line readings are bland, doing nothing to enliven the basic script by Nick Lepard.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
Elon Musk embodies it in all its brash, take-no-prisoners glory.
—Leisse Wilcox, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
And no one can remain beautiful, in the same way, forever, though Kilmer’s mischievous, take-no-prisoners smile hadn’t changed much.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 2 Apr. 2025
Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
This sour takes no prisoners, unapologetically puckering your tastebuds.
—Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 July 2025
In those retaliatory raids, the Ukrainians took no prisoners.
—David Axe, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Gorey and strange in equal measure, this one takes no prisoners.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
Ever since then, four elite Ukrainian brigades have been deliberately hunting down and ambushing 155th Naval Infantry Brigade platoons … and taking no prisoners.
—David Axe, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 15 Sep. 2024
Hynde is still taking no prisoners after all these years.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 12 Aug. 2024
The film is set to shoot in July in Spain’s Extremadura, with theatrical release scheduled for autumn 2025.
Brutal, kinetic at times and taking no prisoners, Saura’s original won a Berlin Silver Bear.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 May 2024
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Adjective
Newsom’s take-no-prisoners social media strategy has gone viral.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2025
Karen Read and her attorney Alan Jackson, who just signed on to the latest twist in this take-no-prisoners legal struggle, aren’t sweating the sad wrongful-death suit brought in Plymouth County by John O’Keefe’s family.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2025
Hackman plays a take-no-prisoners FBI agent, Rupert Anderson, who is investigating the disappearance of three young civil rights workers in racially segregated 1964 Mississippi.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025
Depending on your perspective, of course, some of these use cases might not be unethical, but the tension between these survey answers encouraged me: far from being nihilistic, take-no-prisoners cheaters, my students seemed genuinely confused.
—Piers Gelly
july 28, Literary Hub, 28 July 2025
But Groff’s take-no-prisoners performance as nightclub superstar Bobby Darin is pure Broadway, and thoroughly – and more than justifiably – winning.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 June 2025
Harrison confidently adopts the take-no-prisoners physicality that makes Zephyr a worthy foe for Tucker, but her line readings are bland, doing nothing to enliven the basic script by Nick Lepard.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
Elon Musk embodies it in all its brash, take-no-prisoners glory.
—Leisse Wilcox, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
And no one can remain beautiful, in the same way, forever, though Kilmer’s mischievous, take-no-prisoners smile hadn’t changed much.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 2 Apr. 2025
Idiomatic phrase
Nearly 30 years ago, Keith and his teammate Bill Guerin were the prime physical forces as Team USA took no prisoners on the way to an upset win at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
—Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
This sour takes no prisoners, unapologetically puckering your tastebuds.
—Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 July 2025
In those retaliatory raids, the Ukrainians took no prisoners.
—David Axe, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Gorey and strange in equal measure, this one takes no prisoners.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
Ever since then, four elite Ukrainian brigades have been deliberately hunting down and ambushing 155th Naval Infantry Brigade platoons … and taking no prisoners.
—David Axe, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 15 Sep. 2024
Hynde is still taking no prisoners after all these years.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 12 Aug. 2024
The film is set to shoot in July in Spain’s Extremadura, with theatrical release scheduled for autumn 2025.
Brutal, kinetic at times and taking no prisoners, Saura’s original won a Berlin Silver Bear.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Take-no-prisoners.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take-no-prisoners. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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