chiefly US
: having a fierce, relentless, or aggressive character
a take-no-prisoners attitude
… McGraw is actually famous for his blunt, take-no-prisoners style of therapy.—
Marc Peyser
Marc Peyser… the kind of scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners writing style she had become notorious for.—Kirsten Fleming
Kirsten FlemingHe is one of a kind—a maverick with a take-no-prisoners approach to the wine business.—Wine Spectator
Wine SpectatorThe long-distance marketers are now digging in for a take-no-prisoners strategy to keep a tight grip on their $70 billion industry …—Kate Fitzgerald
Kate Fitzgeraldtake no prisoners
2 of 2idiomatic phrase
: to be aggressively harsh, tough, or relentless (as in pursuing a goal, exploiting an advantage, or expressing criticism)
a politician who takes no prisoners
His record as a tough, capable administrator somehow manages to satisfy both Pentagon hard-liners and State Department moderates. "He takes no prisoners," says a U.S. official …—Daniel Eisenberg
Daniel EisenbergThat show featured Barbara Frum, who was simply one of the most important, most fearless TV journalists this country has ever seen. … She took no prisoners in those interviews.—John Cairns
John CairnsLike their private sector counterparts, … [they] have been known to take no prisoners when competing for contracts.—Willie Schatz
Willie SchatzMr. Smith takes no prisoners as he lambastes a policy he believes was misguided and mistaken from the beginning.—Walter Russell Mead
Walter Russell MeadSynonyms
Adjective
- affectless
- callous
- case-hardened
- cold-blooded
- compassionless
- desensitized
- hard
- hard-boiled
- hard-hearted
- heartless
- indurate
- inhuman
- inhumane
- insensate
- insensitive
- ironhearted
- merciless
- obdurate
- pachydermatous
- pitiless
- remorseless
- ruthless
- slash-and-burn
- soulless
- stony
- stoney
- stonyhearted
- thick-skinned
- uncharitable
- unfeeling
- unmerciful
- unsparing
- unsympathetic
Examples of take-no-prisoners in a Sentence
Adjective
a theater critic with a take-no-prisoners approach to reviewing Broadway's latest offerings
Recent Examples on the Web
Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
If there is any justice, and the election results could factor into this, Sebastian Stan, perfection as the younger Trump, and a terrific Jeremy Strong as his take-no-prisoners lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn both deserve Oscar consideration.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2024
At first shrill and chaotic, Europe’s outrage at Trump’s take-no-prisoners Iran policy has now found a bold and practical course of action.
—Elizabeth Rosenberg, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2018
Daniel is a successful car dealer, with a wife and two kids, whereas Johnny had never gotten past his humiliating high-school defeat at Daniel’s hands (or foot, to be precise), and ran Cobra Kai, a seedy martial arts studio, with a vicious take-no-prisoners philosophy.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 19 July 2024
Ana de Armas steps into the ass-kicking main role for this action flick (though Reeves’ take-no-prisoners hitman character is also involved), which is intriguing for everyone who holds the (correct) opinion that her sequence in No Time To Die is the James Bond movie’s best stretch.
—Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 22 May 2024
Boebert built national hard-line conservative stardom through a take-no-prisoners political style in the House.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 June 2024
Amazon’s bloody, rip-roaring, irreverent, take-no-prisoners superhero TV show returns for Season 4 in June.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 30 May 2024
The series then becomes The Karate Kid in reverse, focusing on Lawrence and his take-no-prisoners style of fighting that LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi (RIP) did so much to counter in the films.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 24 May 2024
David Axe, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 15 Sep. 2024
Hynde is still taking no prisoners after all these years.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 12 Aug. 2024
Gorey and strange in equal measure, this one takes no prisoners.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 11 June 2024
The film is set to shoot in July in Spain’s Extremadura, with theatrical release scheduled for autumn 2025.
Brutal, kinetic at times and taking no prisoners, Saura’s original won a Berlin Silver Bear.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 May 2024
The Highlanders are taking no prisoners this season en route to a 17-1 record and have been dominating City Section opponents.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Passing after a blazing show, a raging night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners + a good breakfast with bandmates and friends.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024
John’s synagogue of Satan came to stand for all the Arians and other heretics who disagreed with Athanasius, and John’s take-no-prisoners tone was congenial to a bishop who intended to take no prisoners.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The Lions are the most complete team in the league, a byproduct of their fearless coach’s take-no-prisoners mantra.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
If there is any justice, and the election results could factor into this, Sebastian Stan, perfection as the younger Trump, and a terrific Jeremy Strong as his take-no-prisoners lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn both deserve Oscar consideration.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2024
At first shrill and chaotic, Europe’s outrage at Trump’s take-no-prisoners Iran policy has now found a bold and practical course of action.
—Elizabeth Rosenberg, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2018
Daniel is a successful car dealer, with a wife and two kids, whereas Johnny had never gotten past his humiliating high-school defeat at Daniel’s hands (or foot, to be precise), and ran Cobra Kai, a seedy martial arts studio, with a vicious take-no-prisoners philosophy.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 19 July 2024
Ana de Armas steps into the ass-kicking main role for this action flick (though Reeves’ take-no-prisoners hitman character is also involved), which is intriguing for everyone who holds the (correct) opinion that her sequence in No Time To Die is the James Bond movie’s best stretch.
—Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 22 May 2024
Boebert built national hard-line conservative stardom through a take-no-prisoners political style in the House.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 June 2024
Amazon’s bloody, rip-roaring, irreverent, take-no-prisoners superhero TV show returns for Season 4 in June.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 30 May 2024
The series then becomes The Karate Kid in reverse, focusing on Lawrence and his take-no-prisoners style of fighting that LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi (RIP) did so much to counter in the films.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 24 May 2024
Idiomatic phrase
Ever since then, four elite Ukrainian brigades have been deliberately hunting down and ambushing 155th Naval Infantry Brigade platoons … and taking no prisoners.
—David Axe, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 15 Sep. 2024
Hynde is still taking no prisoners after all these years.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 12 Aug. 2024
Gorey and strange in equal measure, this one takes no prisoners.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 11 June 2024
The film is set to shoot in July in Spain’s Extremadura, with theatrical release scheduled for autumn 2025.
Brutal, kinetic at times and taking no prisoners, Saura’s original won a Berlin Silver Bear.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 May 2024
The Highlanders are taking no prisoners this season en route to a 17-1 record and have been dominating City Section opponents.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Passing after a blazing show, a raging night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners + a good breakfast with bandmates and friends.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024
John’s synagogue of Satan came to stand for all the Arians and other heretics who disagreed with Athanasius, and John’s take-no-prisoners tone was congenial to a bishop who intended to take no prisoners.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near take-no-prisoners
Cite this Entry
“Take-no-prisoners.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take-no-prisoners. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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