as in to intimidate
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
developers trying to strong-arm homeowners into selling their houses at below-market prices
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 strong-arm
The government has previously tried to charge Lemon in a steadily escalating campaign involving a string of highly unusual legal moves to strong-arm courts into conceding to its demands.
—
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The White House’s push to suppress the Smithsonian’s programming is part of an attempt to strong-arm influential cultural institutions and, in turn, culture itself.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Trump over the weekend shook the NATO alliance by threatening tariffs on Europe to strong-arm his aim of taking over Greenland.
—Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
The Democrats’ anger has been building all year, as immigration enforcement agents have used what critics say are strong-arm tactics to find undocumented immigrants.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strong-arm
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The White House’s push to suppress the Smithsonian’s programming is part of an attempt to strong-arm influential cultural institutions and, in turn, culture itself.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Trump over the weekend shook the NATO alliance by threatening tariffs on Europe to strong-arm his aim of taking over Greenland.
—Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
The Democrats’ anger has been building all year, as immigration enforcement agents have used what critics say are strong-arm tactics to find undocumented immigrants.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strong-arm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strong-arm
Verb
-
All the while, Iran might be able to continue to block oil from moving through the strait by intimidating shipowners with drone and missile strikes or mines laid by small boats or even traditional dhows.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
In May 2025, Peralta-Quintana was charged with intimidating and retaliating against a witness, and he was convicted on those counts as well, the DA said.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lendeborg had a highlight-reel dunk by bullying his way through two defenders and finishing his transition drive with a dunk to put Michigan up 66-57.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Lendeborg had a highlight-reel moment by bullying his way through two defenders and finishing his transition drive with a dunk to put Michigan up 66-57.—
John Wawrow,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Its ballistic-missile program—the backbone of Tehran’s ability to coerce the region—has suffered immense damage.—
Richard Goldberg,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
-
As long as the intimacy coordinators are being hired by the studio, my view of their role is that their job is to coerce the actors into doing things, as opposed to advocate on their behalf against the studio.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strong-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strong-arm. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
