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.
Ours is the world of strongmen, where decisions increasingly turn on the whims of a vanishing few. Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024 Following 53 years of brutal Assad family rule and 13 years of bloody civil war, the Syrian strongman abruptly fled for asylum in Moscow as rebels finalized their encircling of Damascus. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024 Both have ties to strongmen and a taste for tariffs and fossil fuels. Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024 South Korea’s strongman, Chun Doo-hwan, was one of the first visitors to the Reagan White House. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 26 Nov. 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 30 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on strongman

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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