Phrase guide

iron fist

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An army's tank or cavalry branch.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Ruthless and usually unrestricted control.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union with an iron fist.
  • Negotiate with an iron fist inside a velvet glove.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

rigorous or ruthless control

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she rules the office with an iron fist
  • it takes an iron fist to contain the dissenting factions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: control

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: قُبْضَة حَدِيدِيَّة (qubḍa ḥadīdiyya) — ruthless control
  • Belarusian: жале́зны кула́к (žaljézny kulák) — ruthless control
  • Cebuano: kamot nga puthaw — ruthless control
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鐵腕 /铁腕 (tiěwàn) — ruthless control
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鐵拳 /铁拳 (tiěquán) — ruthless control
  • Czech: železná ruka — ruthless control
  • Czech: železná pěst — ruthless control
  • Danish: jernnæve — ruthless control
  • Danish: jernhånd — ruthless control
  • Dutch: ijzeren vuist — ruthless control
  • Esperanto: fera mano — ruthless control
  • Finnish: teräksinen ote — ruthless control
  • Finnish: rautakoura — ruthless control
  • French: main de fer — ruthless control
  • Georgian: რკინის მუშტი (rḳinis mušṭi) — ruthless control
  • German: eiserne Hand — ruthless control
  • German: eiserne Faust — ruthless control
  • Greek: σιδηρά πυγμή (sidirá pygmí) — ruthless control
  • Hungarian: vasököl — ruthless control
  • Italian: pugno di ferro — ruthless control
  • Japanese: 圧政 (assei) — ruthless control
  • Japanese: 圧制 (assei) — ruthless control
  • Japanese: 鉄拳 (tekken) — ruthless control
  • Kazakh: темір жұдырық (temır jūdyryq) — ruthless control
  • Korean: 폭정 (pokjeong) — ruthless control
  • Korean: 압제 (apje) — ruthless control
  • Korean: 철권 (cheolgwon) — ruthless control
  • Lithuanian: geležinis kumštis — ruthless control
  • Malay: kuku besi — ruthless control
  • Mongolian: төмөр нударга (tömör nudarga) — ruthless control
  • Norwegian Bokmål: jernhånd — ruthless control
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: jernhand — ruthless control
  • Portuguese: punho de ferro — ruthless control
  • Romanian: mână de fier — ruthless control
  • Russian: желе́зный кула́к (želéznyj kulák) — ruthless control
  • Slovak: železná päsť — ruthless control
  • Spanish: mano dura — ruthless control
  • Spanish: puño de hierro — ruthless control
  • Spanish: ordeno y mando — ruthless control
  • Swedish: järnhand — ruthless control
  • Tagalog: kamay na bakal — ruthless control
  • Ukrainian: залі́зний кула́к (zalíznyj kulák) — ruthless control
  • Vietnamese: bàn tay thép — ruthless control