garrote

or ga·rote, ga·rotte, gar·rotte

[ guh-rot, -roht ]
See synonyms for: garrotegarrotedgarroter on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a method of capital punishment of Spanish origin in which an iron collar is tightened around a condemned person's neck until death occurs by strangulation or by injury to the spinal column at the base of the brain.

  2. the collarlike instrument used for this method of execution.

  1. strangulation or throttling, especially in the course of a robbery.

  2. an instrument, usually a cord or wire with handles attached at the ends, used for strangling a victim.

verb (used with object),gar·rot·ed, gar·rot·ing.
  1. to execute by the garrote.

  2. to strangle or throttle, especially in the course of a robbery.

Origin of garrote

1
1615–25; <Spanish garrote or French garrot packing-stick < ?

Other words from garrote

  • gar·rot·er, noun

Words Nearby garrote

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use garrote in a sentence

  • He was taken to Havana, and died by garrote in the little fortress La Punta.

    Cuba, Old and New | Albert Gardner Robinson