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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strong-arm
Now, the question of whether the US could again use force – or tactics like tariffs or sanctions – to strong-arm countries into choosing Washington’s interests over ties with China is a viable risk being evaluated in the region’s capitals.
—
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
The government has previously tried to charge Lemon in a steadily escalating campaign involving a string of highly unusual legal moves to strong-arm courts into conceding to its demands.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The White House’s push to suppress the Smithsonian’s programming is part of an attempt to strong-arm influential cultural institutions and, in turn, culture itself.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Trump over the weekend shook the NATO alliance by threatening tariffs on Europe to strong-arm his aim of taking over Greenland.
—Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strong-arm
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
The government has previously tried to charge Lemon in a steadily escalating campaign involving a string of highly unusual legal moves to strong-arm courts into conceding to its demands.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The White House’s push to suppress the Smithsonian’s programming is part of an attempt to strong-arm influential cultural institutions and, in turn, culture itself.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Trump over the weekend shook the NATO alliance by threatening tariffs on Europe to strong-arm his aim of taking over Greenland.
—Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strong-arm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strong-arm
Verb
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The Forney girls soccer team is filled with underclassmen, but the young Jackrabbits were not at all intimidated by Southlake Carroll and its deep tradition.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Apr. 2026
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At the Greeley plant, union officials said the company tried to intimidate workers to quit the union in one-on-one meetings, union general counsel Matt Shechter said.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When these kids finally managed to attend classes, they were beaten and bullied by classmates.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
4 Apr. 2026
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Hernandez was emphatic that nobody in her family bullied Rabell, who prior to landing at Hernandez’s home had been a client of DCF’s Adult Protective Services program.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the mid-twentieth century, the US government experimented on poor Black men in Tuskegee, Alabama, to understand the life-cycle of syphilis; the men were coerced into remaining in their study for decades despite the fact that the disease’s cure, penicillin, had been discovered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
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And the folks for whom Live Nation is able to really coerce a lot of their economic opportunities, the venues that are afraid to get sideways with Live Nation.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strong-arm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strong-arm. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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