stranglehold
noun
stran·gle·hold
ˈstraŋ-gəl-ˌhōld 
1
: an illegal wrestling hold by which one's opponent is choked
2
: a force or influence that stops something from growing or developing
… opened three stores within a year and got a stranglehold on market share.—
Inc.
Examples of stranglehold in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many liberals are desperate for signs that Trump’s stranglehold over his base is slipping.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Trump officials view Greenland’s underground riches as a way to loosen China’s stranglehold over the rare-earth metals that are critical for everything from fighter jets and lasers to electric vehicles and MRI scanners.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Trump has prioritized breaking China’s stranglehold on the global supply of rare earths ever since the world’s number two economy sharply restricted who could buy them after the United States imposed widespread tariffs last spring.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026
Xi’s superpower rival had established a seemingly unassailable lead in the most consequential technology of the past half-century—as well as a stranglehold on the bedrock hardware.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Stranglehold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stranglehold. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
stranglehold
noun
stran·gle·hold
ˈstraŋ-gəl-ˌhōld
1
: an illegal wrestling hold by which one's opponent is choked
2
: a force or influence that chokes or blocks freedom of development or expression
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