iron hand

noun

: stern or rigorous control

ruled with an iron hand

ironhanded

ˈī(-ə)rn-ˈhan-dəd 

adjective

Examples of iron hand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But some fear that voters, fed up with constant churn, could opt for a would-be strongman leader promising an iron hand and order, as voters in Slovakia did in a September legislative election. —Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 8 May 2024

By the time of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), people were being fitted with iron hands—in an attempt to provide function, cables, springs and other means were used to help limbs bend, or fingers grip objects, albeit imperfectly. —Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024

Seeking a map to the mythical Grand Line, an oceanic path said to hold danger as well as potential riches, Luffy runs afoul of the Marines, an armed force led by volatile Vice Admiral Garp (Vincent Regan) that keeps the seas orderly with an iron hand. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023

President Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for 29 years while relying on Russian subsidies and support, portrayed the uprising as the latest development in a clash between Mr. Prigozhin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. —Yuras Karmanau, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 June 2023

The show follows the Dutton family, run with an iron hand by patriarch John (Kevin Costner), a Montana rancher and landowner. —Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2023

And Ronnie ran that band with an iron hand. —Dakin Andone, CNN, 24 July 2021

Some judges run their courtrooms with a short temper and an iron hand. —Jacob Gershman, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2021

The future will belong to those who give their people the ability to breathe free, not those who seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand. —Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for iron hand

• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand
• hinterland
• motherland