MEANING
To strangle someone with a tightened cord, wire, or similar constricting implement.
Use it for
Silent murder; ligature marks; discovery of a strangling implementSpecify the mechanism without adding a long explanatory phrase.
Words that belong together
- garrote a victim
- garroted from behind
- garrote with a cord
On the page
The coroner believed the guard had been garroted.
In the confession, he admitted trying to garrote the witness.
She recognized the wire as something meant to garrote a person, not mend a fence.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- garrote / garrotes
- Past tense
- garroted
- Past participle
- garroted
- Present participle
- garroting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- garrote / garrotes
- Present continuous
- am/is/are garroting
- Present perfect
- have/has garroted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been garroting
- Past
- garroted
- Past continuous
- was/were garroting
- Past perfect
- had garroted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been garroting
- Future
- will garrote / garrotes
- Future continuous
- will be garroting
- Future perfect
- will have garroted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been garroting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: horror. More specific than strangle; names a method, not any attack on the throat. Also a noun for the implement or execution apparatus. Verb [base, third-person present, past, past participle, -ing]: garrote, garrotes, garroted, garroted, garroting. Orthographic alternatives: garotte, garrotte; corresponding inflections garotted/garotting and garrotted/garrotting. Derived/related family (not inflections): garroter (agent noun).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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