strong-arm

strong-arm

1. adjective Of or relating to the use or threat of physical force, violence, or coercion. The paramilitary group became known for using strong-arm tactics to establish their authority in the war-torn region.

2. verb To coerce someone or some group to do something through physical force or violence or the threat thereof. The mob came in and strong-armed local business owners into paying protection money. The company hired security personnel to strong-arm protestors out of the drilling site.

3. verb To force someone or some group to do something by exploiting a position of power, authority, or advantage. Many believe the company is leveraging the ubiquity of their operating system in order to strong-arm customers into accepting their recent questionable business practices. The board of directors is strong-armed me out of the company because of my political beliefs.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

strong-arm

1. tv. to force someone (to do something). Spike tried to strong-arm Frank into cooperating.

2. mod. forceful; by physical force. The strong-arm approach got him nowhere.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.