Strong-arm (Verb)

Meaning ¹

Use physical force against; "They strong-armed me when I left the restaurant".

Classification

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.

Examples

• The police strong-armed the suspect to the ground after he resisted arrest.
• The bouncers strong-armed the drunk patron out of the bar for causing a disturbance.
• The shop security guards strong-armed the shoplifter to the floor and detained her until the police arrived.
• The debt collector strong-armed the debtor against the wall and refused to let him go until he paid.
• The referee had to intervene after one of the players strong-armed his opponent during the soccer match.

Hypernyms

• Work Over
• Beat Up

Related Words

• Strong-armer (noun)

Meaning ²

Handle roughly; "He was strong-armed by the policemen".

Classification

Verbs of political and social activities and events.

Examples

• The union representatives claimed they had been strong-armed into accepting the company's lowest offer.
• The prisoner was strong-armed out of the cell by the correctional officers when he refused to leave voluntarily.
• During the protest, several activists were strong-armed by riot police and taken away for questioning.
• The employees alleged that their employer had strong-armed them into working longer hours without adequate compensation.
• The suspect was strong-armed by the FBI agents when he resisted arrest during the raid.

Hypernyms

• Handle
• Do By

Related Words

• Strong-armer (noun)

Meaning ³

Be bossy towards; "Her big brother always bullied her when she was young".

Classification

Verbs of feeling.

Examples

• The union representatives were known to strong-arm the management into accepting their demands during labor negotiations.
• His authoritarian wife would strong-arm him into doing all the household chores without complaint.
• The coach strong-armed the players into extra practice sessions, claiming it was for their own good.
• Her big brother always strong-armed her when she was young, never letting her have a say in what game they'd play.
• The politician was accused of trying to strong-arm the opposition into supporting his unpopular bill.

Synonyms

• Bullyrag
• Ballyrag
• Boss Around
• Bully
• Browbeat
• Push Around
• Hector

Hyponyms

• Tyrannise
• Domineer