Strongman
noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A man who performs feats of strength, as in competitions or as an attraction in a circus.
"Giovanni Battista Belzoni, the famous Egyptian archeologist, who was a man of gigantic stature, began his public career as a strongman at the Bartholomew Fair, under the management of Gyngell, the conjuror, who dubbed him The Young Hercules."
- 2 a male powerful political figure who rules by the exercise of force or violence wordnet
- 3 A forceful or brutal person, usually a ruler or tyrant.
"Kazakhstan’s explosion into unrest this week presents a stark warning to the strongman autocrats of the world: Leaving office is perilous. Since the Cold War’s end, a staggering 70 percent of governments headed by strongmen collapsed after the ruler departed, according to one data set."
- 4 a man who performs feats of strength at a fair or circus wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"That's a real strongman, bestow upon him a goblet of wine!"
Etymology
From strong + -man.
Related phrases
More for "strongman"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.