iron hand
noun
: stern or rigorous control
ruled with an iron hand
ironhanded
ˈī(-ə)rn-ˈhan-dəd 
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Some judges run their courtrooms with a short temper and an iron hand. 
Jacob Gershman, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2021 The future will belong to those who give their people the ability to breathe free, not those who seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2021 The cut-to-the-chase award goes to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who ran the trial of Epic Games versus Apple with an iron hand. Aaron Pressman, Fortune, 2 June 2021 The theater world, an industry Rudin still rules with an iron hand, has been similarly silent. Chris Lee, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2021 The brutal crackdown that began late Sunday and lasted through the night followed a tense campaign that saw massive rallies against President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation with an iron hand for 26 years. Yuras Karmanau, Star Tribune, 9 Aug. 2020 Lukashenko has run the ex-Soviet nation with an iron hand for more than a quarter century, showing little tolerance to dissent and extending his rule through votes the West has criticized as flawed. Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2020 The state’s senior political leadership has anyway been rendered completely powerless by the iron hand dealt by New Delhi. Riyaz Wani, Quartz India, 9 Jan. 2020 John Bolton met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the nation of 10 million with an iron hand for a quarter century, showing little tolerance for dissent and independent media. Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2019 See More
Jacob Gershman, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2021 The future will belong to those who give their people the ability to breathe free, not those who seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2021 The cut-to-the-chase award goes to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who ran the trial of Epic Games versus Apple with an iron hand. Aaron Pressman, Fortune, 2 June 2021 The theater world, an industry Rudin still rules with an iron hand, has been similarly silent. Chris Lee, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2021 The brutal crackdown that began late Sunday and lasted through the night followed a tense campaign that saw massive rallies against President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation with an iron hand for 26 years. Yuras Karmanau, Star Tribune, 9 Aug. 2020 Lukashenko has run the ex-Soviet nation with an iron hand for more than a quarter century, showing little tolerance to dissent and extending his rule through votes the West has criticized as flawed. Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2020 The state’s senior political leadership has anyway been rendered completely powerless by the iron hand dealt by New Delhi. Riyaz Wani, Quartz India, 9 Jan. 2020 John Bolton met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the nation of 10 million with an iron hand for a quarter century, showing little tolerance for dissent and independent media. Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
circa 1570, in the meaning defined above