stifle

verb

sti·fle | \ ˈstī-fəl

stifled; stifling\ ˈstī-f(ə-)liŋ

Definition of stifle

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to withhold from circulation or expression stifled our anger

b : to cut off (the voice, the breath, etc.)

c : deter, discourage

2a(1) : muffle

(2) : smother

b : to kill by depriving of oxygen : suffocate

intransitive verb

: to be or become unable to breathe easily stifling in the heat

stifle

noun

Definition of stifle (Entry 2 of 2)

: the joint next above the hock in the hind leg of a quadruped (such as a horse or dog) corresponding to the human knee — see horse illustration

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Examples of stifle in a Sentence

Verb

trying to stifle a cry I had to stifle the desire to yell “Stop!”. Students at the school are stifled by the pressure to score high on tests. Too many regulations stifle innovation. something that stifles the growth of the plant I wish we could go outside instead of stifling in this tiny room. He was almost stifled by the smoke.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) published a report in 2016 that argued that the Ugandan government was stifling digital rights. — Damilola Odutayo, CNN, "People in Uganda now have to pay tax to use WhatsApp and other social media," 1 June 2018 Large merchants and trade groups have alleged that Visa and Mastercard stifle lower-cost competition in payments and circumvented debit-card regulation. — Annamaria Andriotis, WSJ, "For Walmart and Target, the Fed Holds the Keys to Faster Payments," 6 Dec. 2018 Take it from these two Canadian tourists, who were fined €450 ($507) each in August for swimming in a fountain mere hours after their first attempt was stifled by police. — Katherine Lagrave, Condé Nast Traveler, "Rome Cracking Down on Street Drinking, Bad Tourist Behavior With New Laws," 28 Nov. 2018 One is the idea that rising concentration in the American economy has stifled competition and is killing the incentives to invest and grow. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "The big question about today’s economy — are wages going to start growing?," 23 Aug. 2018 The government argued that the merger would stifle competition and lead to higher cable bills. — Marcy Gordon And Mae Anderson, The Christian Science Monitor, "AT&T-Time Warner deal could open floodgates for megamergers," 13 June 2018 This creates new opportunities for Republicans to point out the flaws in Democratic plans to enlarge the bureaucracies already stifling American medicine. — James Freeman, WSJ, "Art of the Deal: 2020," 16 Nov. 2018 Control of the House gives Democrats the ability to launch investigations into the president and stifle his agenda. — Catherine Lucey, The Seattle Times, "Despite House loss, Trump still sees midterms success," 7 Nov. 2018 The film is legendary for its fly-on-the-wall, real-time documentation of the Rolling Stones in the studio cutting the title song, replete with awkward silences, stifling boredom—and thrilling creative breakthroughs. — Corey Seymour, Vogue, "3 Newly Released Rock Documentaries Might Be Your Cup of Escapist Tea This Weekend," 28 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The government did not appear to prove its case that a bulked-up AT&T would harm consumers and stifle competition. — Brooks Barnes, New York Times, "As Disney Moves Forward With Fox, Comcast Continues Plotting," 20 May 2018 Clyde the Belgian came to Hay Burr Inn with a stifle injury. — Denise Coffey, Courant Community, "Working Small Miracles At Hay Burr Inn Equine Rescue," 19 Sep. 2017 The company created what is called a stifle brace for Fievel, a black Lab mix who suffers from a painful torn ACL. — Stacey Delikat, Fox News, "Prosthetic limbs offering pets a new 'leash' on life," 3 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stifle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.