Frogmarch

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The process of frogmarching a person. transitive
Verb
  1. 1
    To march or force a person forward while holding their arms from behind or the side, as a prisoner. transitive

    "Maybe it happened during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when no one could work and soldiers frog-marched curfew-breakers through the township streets like criminals."

  2. 2
    carry someone against their will upside down such that each limb is held by one person wordnet
  3. 3
    To force a person forward against their will. figuratively, transitive

    "The wind frogmarched me at a run into the house."

  4. 4
    march a person against their will by any method wordnet
  5. 5
    To carry a person face-down with one person holding each limb. dated, transitive
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    To forcibly relocate a person, especially in a degrading or humiliating manner. transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
frog-walk

Example

More examples

"Maybe it happened during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when no one could work and soldiers frog-marched curfew-breakers through the township streets like criminals."

Etymology

From frog + march. Originated c. 1871, from the resemblance of the target to a splayed-out frog.

Related phrases

face down

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.