jawboning

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of jawbone

noun

1. (uncountable, usually)Persistent persuasive talk, particularly (politics, economics) talk that includes implied threats of punitive action, such as tighter government regulation.

   “Or the merely verbal pressure of jawbonings by prominent people may try to silence a certain point of view.”

   “It's shocking to Douek, because she is a close-watcher of what's known as "jawboning," when regulators or government officials pressure private actors, like a social media company or broadcast network, to stifle speech. The libertarian Cato Institute calls the practice "censorship by proxy."”