Strong-arm

Pronunciation varies by accent · verb

Meaning

(often figurative, transitive) To bully, to intimidate; to coerce, to muscle..

Definitions by Sense

1. (often figurative, transitive) To bully, to intimidate; to coerce, to muscle.
2. A person who threatens or intimidates others, especially on behalf of somebody else; a goon or enforcer.
3. Bullying; extortionate.
4. (usually figuratively) Coercive, employing force.

Example Sentences

One of the boss’ hangers-on Comes to call at times you least expect Try to bully ya—strong-arm you—inspire you with fear

In a five-part series on the “Extremely Passive Aggressive Roommate,” Ms. Brier […] complains about her roomie coming home at 3:27 a.m.; strong-arms that roommate into renewing their lease and then welcomes a guest to “the common space.”

It is difficult to summarise the arrogance, contempt, complacency and incompetence shown by the DfT in a scheme where it strong-armed the rail industry (in the form of the Rail Delivery Group) to 'front up'.

The CEO was often forced back into damage control mode, however, including denying reports from the Wall Street Journal earlier this year that X had strong-armed companies to advertise on the platform by threatening lawsuits against them.

There used to be a goon I knew in the Bronx—a tough mockie we used to call Yussel the Bricklayer—and you never saw a guy who was more screwed up. This guy Yussel would've been a strongarm for nothing, he enjoyed it so much.

"Some applications will fail. ORR does not need strong-arm tactics from DfT muddying the waters."

Synonyms for strong-arm

Antonyms for strong-arm

Related Words

Word Forms

• strong-arms
• strong-arming
• strong-armed
• strongarm

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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