1
as in to choke
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air the gull got tangled in a piece of fishing line on the beach and was strangled

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2
as in to throttle
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe the boy complained that he was being strangled by his tie

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3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of strangle The man allegedly had strangled his wife, repeatedly punched her in the head and forced her to walk around naked. Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025 At that point, both Hsiao-Lee’s life and our perspective open up toward something more hopeful, even if plenty of turmoil — including another unbearable scene in which Chiang nearly strangles Chuan to death — continues back home. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025 Kennedy, 71, has spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition in which the muscles that open and close his vocal cords spasm involuntarily, creating a strained or strangled quality to his speech. Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025 The women were strangled and rendered unconscious during the attack. Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for strangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangle
Verb
  • In the clip, the pair execute the moves to the song’s post-chorus, before a bonnet-wearing Colbert pretends to choke on something, causing Gaga to erupt in laughter.
    Stephen Daw, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Luckily, the police department had recently brought in a CPR specialist who taught officers how to save choking children.
    Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Watch The Incredibles films on Disney+ Luca Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) are sea monsters who feel stifled in the water.
    Sydni Ellis, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Experts say this shift could stifle innovation—but here’s how young workers can still get their foot in the door.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • When oxygen can’t attach, red blood cells don’t transport it around the body, effectively suffocating the organs.
    Sara Novak, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Everyone laughs about Laura’s over-protectiveness; her suffocating affection is a joke.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Although Canon had mandated that the Cat's programmability be suppressed, the IAI team nevertheless maintained the ability to compute expressions, which Canon permitted as an extension of the editor metaphor.
    Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
  • However, the country's typically strict online censors did not appear to be limiting discussion in the comments—a tactic often used to suppress sensitive or politically awkward narratives.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The smotherer has been smothered.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Moody’s second field goal attempt, from 36 yards, got blocked when Julian Love quickly jumped past Matt Hennessy and smothered Moody’s attempt on its ascent.
    Cam Inman, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In a sight that became more-than-familiar to Boise State fans, Jeanty seemed to be swallowed in the scrum at the line of scrimmage, before bursting out of the side and powering himself into the endzone.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Participants in the treatment group swallowed 28 capsules over two days, each containing gut bacteria from four donors.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • After a man drowned off a popular Anna Maria Island beach over the Labor Day weekend, city officials are speeding up plans to ban swimming in the area.
    Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
  • On Wednesday, as one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims spoke outside the Capitol, pleading for government candor, fighter jets roared overhead, briefly drowning her out.
    Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Strangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangle. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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