Hobson's choice
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“In some ways, practices might be facing a Hobson’s choice, where they are damned if they do and they are damned if they don’t.”
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026
He laments the use of fixed penalty notices, in which offenders are offered the Hobson’s choice of paying minor fines or fighting criminal offenses for a litany of “anti-social behaviors.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
Former acting Solicitor General Neal Kaytal said the ex-president will face a "Hobson's choice" to either answer questions or invoke his Fifth Amendment rights.
From Salon • Nov. 6, 2023
They are caught off guard by the sudden change, and then face a Hobson’s choice — a choice where only one option is realistically feasible.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 7, 2023
It is not a sign of one's thinking the boon one offers very attractive, when one allows only Hobson's choice, “that or none.”
From The Subjection of Women by Mill, John Stuart
