- an illegal hold by which an opponent's breath is choked off.
- a restraining hold in which one person uses an arm to encircle the neck of another; a chokehold.
- any force or influence that restricts the free actions or development of a person or thing; a stifling grip: to break the stranglehold of superstition.
- a wrestling hold in which a wrestler's arms are pressed against his opponent's windpipe
- complete power or control over a person or situation
