strong-arming 1 of 2

noun

as in bullying

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strong-arming

2 of 2

verb

present participle of strong-arm
as in intimidating
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

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-arming
Verb
Tech leaders have quietly backed Anthropic, saying that AI isn’t ready for some weapons and that strong-arming companies is counterproductive and antidemocratic. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026 Hezbollah, for the longest time, was strong-arming other parties, and they are accused of assassinating a former Prime Minister. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strong-arming
  1. bullying
  2. intimidating
  3. threat
  4. coercing
  5. bulldozing
  6. frenzy
  7. revolt
  8. upheaval
Noun
  • In a statement on its Facebook page, Wright State University did not directly address the bullying allegations, but said counseling and support services had been made available to students, faculty and staff.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Many are worried that social media continues to increase the risks of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, bullying and other harms.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of bullying
Verb
  • Pearce is by turns low-key hilarious and intimidating as the unerringly sure-of-himself businessman, peppering his conversation with colorful Australianisms and profanity while never relaxing his laser focus.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The Basij boosted its presence during the war, and hard-liners have held nightly rallies in Tehran and other cities, drumming up support and intimidating any possible dissenters.
    — Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of intimidating
Noun
  • This is a historically fragmented industry, with different vendors for different kinds of services, such as firewall, threat detection, and identity.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Meteorologists said the majority of model guidance does not indicate a credible hurricane threat to California during the second week of September.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of threat
Verb
  • Playing that cat, a work camp warden coercing Hawke’s character into smuggling gold through the wilderness, is none other than Russell Crowe.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But in the past, these efforts were largely aimed at threatening or coercing Washington to act in their favor.
    — Dina Esfandiary, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of coercing
Noun
  • The demands to stop the bulldozing and construction of areas in the Big Bend region of Texas are continuing, despite a pause in the work.
    — Ken Molestina, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Outside, the ceaseless roar of jackhammering and bulldozing went on as the ballroom, challenged by lawsuits and protected by that titanium fencing, took shape.
    — Matt Viser, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
Definition of bulldozing
Noun
  • News that Adele won the show was announced on Monday, and two days later, the full cast of celebrities and pros was revealed, sending the Dancing fandom into a frenzy.
    — McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
  • So when Trader Joe’s dropped a similar formula at a fraction of the cost, skincare enthusiasts went into a bit of a frenzy.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of frenzy
Noun
  • The tax revolt was a successful attempt by a small group of ideologues to capitalize on people’s justifiable anger at the cost-of-living crisis that followed the war in Vietnam, along with California’s runaway home prices.
    — Maggie McGowan, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Corbet issued a statement defending the AI use cases amid swelling online revolt.
    — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of revolt
Noun
  • The landscape stayed quiet for a while, until a series of upheavals in the American League West.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Artificial intelligence has unleashed the greatest upheaval within the industry since Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of upheaval

Browse Nearby Words

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strong-arming
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Cite this Entry

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

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