garrote

variants or garotte
Definition of garrotenext
as in to strangle
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe the goons sent by the loan shark threatened to garrote the hero with his own necktie

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of garrote That means the Senate's only practical effect is adding another point at which oligarch lobbyists can garrote popular policy. Ryan Cooper, The Week, 29 Oct. 2021 Tony, unhindered by any sense of moral anguish, garrotes the man in broad daylight with a length of cable. Adam Wilson, Harper's magazine, 16 Sep. 2019 Sometimes the line between good writing and bad writing can be as thin as the piano wire with which a madman garrotes his victims. Laura Miller, Slate Magazine, 15 Aug. 2017 Last year, he was garroted by saw briars—the vicious inch-long thorns that lace the course—which left bleeding gashes across his neck. George Pendle, Esquire, 26 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garrote
Verb
  • Fujita was 20 in 2013 when he was found guilty of strangling and stabbing his former high school girlfriend to death in Wayland.
    Matt Schooley, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Mostly, though, Boland strangles batters with his suffocating and deadly-accurate line and length.
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cites reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos.
    Laura Romero, ABC News, 23 Jan. 2026
  • In a brain stroke, human tissues die quickly when deprived of oxygen and choked by waste.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • But now, there’s a new referendum drive to legalize recreational pot, and once again, the invisible hand of Ron DeSantis is cheerlessly throttling the life out of direct democracy.
    Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
  • In really hot places such as Texas and Arizona, cooling systems struggle, either using excessive water to cool or having to throttle the chips to stop them from overheating.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Garrote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garrote. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.

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