garrote

variants or garotte
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

Relevance

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
  • The man previously on Florida’s Death Row for beating, stabbing and strangling a La Carreta waitress with a rice cooker — before lighting a blaze to destroy key evidence — should be condemned to die, Miami prosecutors told a jury after detailing the slaying on Wednesday morning.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Their strategy seems to be to strangle the capital and provoke unrest against the military junta.
    Tim Lister, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The drought has also set the stage for devastating wildfires in Brazil that have destroyed huge swaths of the Amazon as well as the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetlands, and choked cities in thick smoke.
    Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • For younger children, this is a matter of safety, as toys intended for older kids can contain small pieces that pose choking hazards or materials that aren’t safe to chew on.
    Anja Webb, Parents, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The newsroom union claims the change is throttling staff diversity and muting the magazine’s progressive political bent.
    Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Before upgrading, consider testing your current speed, optimizing your Wi-Fi setup and checking if your provider is throttling your connection.
    Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Garrote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garrote. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on garrote

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!