What does armlock mean?
An armlock is a grappling technique used in wrestling, judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and other combat sports in which one fighter traps and controls an opponent's arm, typically extending it against a joint such as the elbow or shoulder until the opponent submits. Because improperly applied armlocks can damage ligaments and tendons quickly, referees stop contests the moment a hold is locked in, and training emphasises tapping out early rather than resisting. Beyond sport, the term has taken on a figurative life in everyday English: to have someone 'in an armlock' is to hold them in a position of coercive pressure, whether in business dealings, politics, or personal relationships. The word derives simply from the combination of 'arm' with 'lock', echoing the mechanical image of a fastening mechanism clamped shut. Compact, vivid, and widely understood, it conveys both physical control and metaphorical leverage with equal force.
nounA hold in wrestling, judo, or other combat sports in which an opponent's arm is trapped and immobilized or hyperextended against the joints; by extension, any firm grip that pins someone's arm.
- A grappling technique that traps, controls, or hyperextends an opponent's arm at the elbow, shoulder, or wrist.
- (Figurative/informal) A position of coercive control over someone, as in 'having someone in an armlock' to mean exerting pressure or leverage.
"The referee stopped the bout when the judoka secured a textbook armlock."
"She escaped his grip before he could lock in the armlock."
"The negotiators claimed the smaller country had been put in an economic armlock by its larger neighbour."
Standard regular plural; used both for multiple instances of the technique and for different named variants collectively.
"The seminar covered a dozen different armlocks, from basic armbars to wrist locks."
In judo competition, an armlock is one of only two legal ways to win a match outright — the other being a throw that lands the opponent flat on their back.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of armlock
Armlock is a transparent English compound formed from 'arm', from Old English 'earm' meaning the upper limb, and 'lock', from Old English 'loc', denoting a fastening device or the act of fastening shut. Both elements are native Germanic words, so the compound carries no Latin or Greek inheritance. It arose in the vocabulary of wrestling and self-defence instruction, becoming especially established through judo's international spread in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when Japanese techniques such as ude-garami and ude-hishigi were rendered into English as armlocks.
How armlock is actually used
Armlock is chiefly associated with martial arts and wrestling terminology (judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, catch wrestling), where specific variants carry their own names such as armbar and kimura. In figurative use it appears mostly in informal British English, often metaphorically about coercion. It is countable and takes a standard plural 'armlocks'.
Easily confused with armlock
A headlock traps the opponent's head and neck under the attacker's arm, whereas an armlock traps and controls an arm, often hyperextending it at the elbow or shoulder.