garrote

variants or garotte
Definition of garrotenext
as in to strangle
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe the goons sent by the loan shark threatened to garrote the hero with his own necktie

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 garrote That means the Senate's only practical effect is adding another point at which oligarch lobbyists can garrote popular policy. Ryan Cooper, The Week, 29 Oct. 2021 Tony, unhindered by any sense of moral anguish, garrotes the man in broad daylight with a length of cable. Adam Wilson, Harper's magazine, 16 Sep. 2019 Sometimes the line between good writing and bad writing can be as thin as the piano wire with which a madman garrotes his victims. Laura Miller, Slate Magazine, 15 Aug. 2017 Last year, he was garroted by saw briars—the vicious inch-long thorns that lace the course—which left bleeding gashes across his neck. George Pendle, Esquire, 26 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garrote
Verb
  • Reports later revealed that the Turpin parents restricted the food their children could eat, left several of them in a home alone to fend for themselves, and imprisoned, beat, and strangled their kids.
    Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
  • According to the indictment, McCray is accused of strangling the victim.
    Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Israeli settler violence and settlement expansion has grown, and daily Palestinian life has been choked by movement restrictions and military raids.
    Daniel Estrin, NPR, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The partygoers don’t really know how to react until Stab interrupts the performance to choke Kid out, and then everyone becomes horrified.
    Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • This effort to throttle transparency of a project that is already the subject of international derision is incomprehensible as well as offensive to the public’s right to know.
    Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Overall, Newsom has tended to favor attempts to protect children and other vulnerable groups from AI, while opposing measures that could throttle the industry’s growth.
    Dan Walters, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Garrote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garrote. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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