strangle

strangle

verb

Definition of STRANGLE

1

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>

Synonyms choke, stifle, strangle, suffocate

Related Words garrote (or garotte), throttle; asphyxiate; drown; croak [slang], destroy, dispatch, do in, fell, slay

Near Antonyms breathe, exhale, expire, inhale, inspire; resuscitate, revive

2

to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe <the boy complained that he was being strangled by his tie>

Synonyms garrote (or garotte), strangle, suffocate, throttle

Related Words asphyxiate, smother, stifle; scrag

Near Antonyms restore, resuscitate, revive

3

to refrain from openly showing or uttering <strangled a gasp of surprise upon hearing the news>

Synonyms choke (back), hold back, pocket, repress, sink, smother, stifle, strangle, submerge, swallow

Related Words control, govern, manage; bridle, check, curb, quash, quell; bottle up, contain; muffle, squelch

Near Antonyms express, loose, release, take out, unleash, vent