strongman

noun

strong·​man ˈstrȯŋ-ˌman How to pronounce strongman (audio)
: one who leads or controls by force of will and character or by military methods

Examples of strongman in a Sentence

a Latin-American strongman who basically treated his nation's coffers as his personal bank account
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Most people in the military and police know that the socialist strongman lost the election, and would side with the people if the conditions were created for a showdown, an opposition spokesperson told the Miami Herald. Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 11 Jan. 2025 Deprivation provides fertile ground for the appeal of a strongman. Katherine Tai, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2025 Created in 1963 under the former dictator Park Chung-hee, the P.S.S. was once one of the government’s most powerful agencies, with the military strongmen relying on its loyalty to ​escape assassination attempts. Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025 Also worrisome would be the emergence of a strongman like Egypt's Abdel Fatah el-Sisi who'd use the threat of chaos and Islamic fundamentalism to justify anti-democratic policies. John Feffer, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for strongman 

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of strongman was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near strongman

Cite this Entry

“Strongman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strongman. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on strongman

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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