garrote

variants or garotte
as in to strangle
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe the goons sent by the loan shark threatened to garrote the hero with his own necktie

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of garrote That means the Senate's only practical effect is adding another point at which oligarch lobbyists can garrote popular policy. Ryan Cooper, The Week, 29 Oct. 2021 Tony, unhindered by any sense of moral anguish, garrotes the man in broad daylight with a length of cable. Adam Wilson, Harper's magazine, 16 Sep. 2019 Sometimes the line between good writing and bad writing can be as thin as the piano wire with which a madman garrotes his victims. Laura Miller, Slate Magazine, 15 Aug. 2017 Last year, he was garroted by saw briars—the vicious inch-long thorns that lace the course—which left bleeding gashes across his neck. George Pendle, Esquire, 26 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garrote
Verb
  • Dobson was strangled with a computer extension cord and smothered with a plastic bag.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
  • Listen to this article A Merrillville man is charged with strangling a pregnant woman, documents allege.
    Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Lenin, a 1988 faux Fabergé egg choking on its rhinestones.
    Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Per the incident report, Levin’s family members were right upstairs while he was being beaten and choked in the basement.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The Mustangs also throttled Class 2A No. 5 Ozark Catholic by 35 points in mid-December.
    Erick Taylor, arkansasonline.com, 7 Feb. 2025
  • In 1931, the Great Depression was throttling America’s economy and dashing people’s spirits.
    Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near garrote

Cite this Entry

“Garrote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garrote. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

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