STRONG-ARM Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

strong-arm

verb

Definition of strong-arm

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

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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 Detectives began a monthslong investigation after a June 14 strong-arm robbery near 11th Street and Washington Avenue, Officer Christopher Bess, spokesperson for the Miami Beach Police Department, said in a statement. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026 Police have launched a homicide investigation after a man died from injuries suffered in an altercation that was initially reported as a possible strong-arm robbery, a police spokesman said. — Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2026 Attempts to muffle creative voices through bullying and strong-arm tactics are fundamentally anti-American and have become all too common in recent years. — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026 And if two media companies were strong-armed out of the deal, were their First Amendment rights violated? — Robertas Bakula, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for strong-arm

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strong-arm

Verb

Perhaps the point is to intimidate Vela and her henchman, but the move puts our Tulsa truthstorian in new and uncomfortable territory.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
The wiretapping operation could also constitute a serious human rights violation and could be used to intimidate critics and weaken civil liberties, said Usman Hamid, Amnesty International's executive director in Indonesia.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of intimidate

Verb

Pressure from students over grades was reported more frequently than bullying from colleagues.

— Jason Walker, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2026
Police said the father, Thomas Frimprong, 60, has told NYPD detectives two fellow students had recently been suspended for bullying his son.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of bully

Verb

Locked under floors of concrete and alone in his cell with just a toilet and steel bed, Jurek coerces the man in the cell next to him to bash his head in.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
But if one spouse was coerced into participating or the arbitrator exceeded the authority the couple had agreed to give them, a court could set the decision aside.

— Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of coerce

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strong-arm

strong-armed

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“Strong-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strong-arm. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of strong-arm

verb

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