strong-arm

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strong-arm

Where it comes from

From strong + arm.

verb strong-arms · strong-arming · strong-armed · strongarm

figuratively, often, transitive To bully, to intimidate; to coerce, to muscle. One of the boss’ hangers-on Comes to call at times you least expect Try to bully ya—strong-arm you—inspire you with fear

noun strong-arms · strongarm

A person who threatens or intimidates others, especially on behalf of somebody else; a goon or enforcer. There used to be a goon I knew in the Bronx—a tough mockie we used to call Yussel the Bricklayer—and you never saw a guy who was more screwed up. This guy Yussel would've been a strongarm for nothing, he enjoyed it so much.

adjective strongarm

not comparable Bullying; extortionate.
figuratively, not comparable, usually Coercive, employing force. "Some applications will fail. ORR does not need strong-arm tactics from DfT muddying the waters."

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MLA

"strong-arm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/strong-arm. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

strong-arm. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/strong-arm

Chicago

"strong-arm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/strong-arm.

BibTeX

@misc{strong_arm_2026,
  title = {strong-arm},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/strong-arm},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}