chokehold

American  

[chohk-hohld] / ˈtʃoʊkˌhoʊld /

Or choke hold

noun

1. a restraining hold in which one person encircles the neck of another in a viselike grip with the arm, usually approaching from behind.

   The suspect was put in a chokehold and was gasping for breath.

2. a stifling grip; stranglehold.

   a company that once had a chokehold over the PC market.

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chokehold British  

/ ˈtʃəʊkˌhəʊld /

noun

1. the act of holding a person's neck across the windpipe, esp from behind using one arm

2. complete power or control

   the chokehold the mob has had on the town

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Example Sentences

The Wall Street Journal studied radar satellite imagery and specialist data to create pictures of the chokehold at the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Earlier this week, the U.S. promised tankers protection through the Persian Gulf, if necessary, assuaging some of the market’s concerns about the effects of a Hormuz chokehold.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

Cooper promised more "assertive action" to "tighten the chokehold" on the shadow fleet with more "disruption" and "enforcement measures".

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

But China currently accounts for roughly one-third of global chip manufacturing — and also possesses a chokehold on critical minerals, such as gallium and germanium, that make chip manufacturing possible.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 12, 2025

In order to have standing, the Court reasoned, Lyons would have to show that he was highly likely to be subject to a chokehold again.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander