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
  • Benjamin Robinson, president of the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s design and planning student group, lives in South Plaza and said parking minimums strangle the city out of making housing more affordable.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
  • According to court records, Trotter stabbed and strangled Langford on June 16, 1986, at her store in Palmetto near the southern edge of Tampa Bay.
    David Fischer, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Iran may soon run out of drones, yet has other asymmetrical options – such as choking the Strait of Hormuz or plotting terror on foreign soil – that can irritate the US and disrupt peace.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Chan then forced Tay to drink rubbing alcohol and sealed his moth with duct tape — forcing him to choke on his own vomit — before burying him in the makeshift grave.
    Sean Emery, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The regime had relied on its navy to throttle ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passageway for transporting about 20% of the world's oil and liquified natural gas.
    Joe Walsh, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The result is a mechanically simpler engine that can be throttled and even shut down and restarted in flight, providing significantly greater flight flexibility.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Garrote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garrote. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.

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