IRON HAND Definition & Meaning

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iron hand

[ ahy-ern hand ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

strict, harsh, or autocratic, often ruthless control:
The general governed the country with an iron hand.

iron hand

noun

harsh or rigorous control; overbearing or autocratic force
he ruled with an iron hand

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of iron hand¹

First recorded in 1840–50

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Idioms and Phrases

Rigorous control, as in He ruled the company with an iron hand . This usage is sometimes put as iron hand in a velvet glove , meaning “firm but seemingly gentle control,” as in She runs the town with an iron hand in a velvet glove . [c. 1700]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

They are the Soviet nostalgics, longing to be ruled by Stalin’s iron hand.

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This subject is governed by fear, surrendering their agency to the grip of cult-like devotion and the iron hand of strongman figures.

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Mr Museveni is accused by his critics of ruling Uganda with an iron hand since taking power in 1986, but his supporters praise him for maintaining stability in the East African state.

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His critics say Mr Kagame's thundering majorities come as no surprise as he rules with an iron hand.

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“President Xi in China controls 1.4 billion people, with an iron hand, no drug problems. You know why?”

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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