stifle

verb

ˈstī-fəl How to pronounce stifle (audio)
Definition of stiflenext
1
as in to strangle
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air unfortunately, the robbers were stifled when they got trapped in the airless bank vault

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to suppress
to refrain from openly showing or uttering stifled a yawn

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to muffle
to deaden the sound of he stifled a cough with his hand

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 stifle The weather served up truly stifling heat, including a stretch of highs in the mid-90s, and a few days of air quality emergency due to wildfire smoke drifting across the upper Midwest. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026 But his administration’s recent moves to stifle legal immigration of foreign skilled workers leave his support – and the industry’s workforce – in question. — Laina Gustafson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026 The worm, however impossible to miss, is shoved, bumped, and pushed around with everyone else in the stifling subway car. — Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026 As for whether the report helps prompt change or becomes yet another weighty academic doorstop, that remains to be seen at City Hall, where entrenched political power often combines with bureaucratic inertia to stifle innovation. — A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
  1. strangle
  2. suppress
  3. muffle
  4. choke
  5. swallow
  6. smother
  7. repress
  8. suffocate
Verb
  • Michael MacIvor was hit in the back of the head with a blunt object and kicked in the midsection before being strangled.
    — CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Wandering further afield, Wright recounts the case of Walker Railey, a Methodist minister accused of strangling his wife and leaving her in a vegetative state.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • By failing to suppress a Democratic campaign ad about the scandal, the Republican Party is only calling more attention to the misuse of $10 million meant for Florida’s Medicaid program.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Critics say the changes could suppress overseas turnout; volunteers have responded with VoteBnB, matching voters with rides and places to stay near polling stations.
    — Branimir Pipal, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppress
Verb
  • The sullen tribute to Payne settled the room into a cool near-silence, punctured by quiet gasps and muffled crying.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2026
  • After two hours of practice, with the 10-foot-tall fences doing little to muffle the bullhorn orders and corresponding groans, the huddle broke and the personalities sprung to life.
    — Noah White, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of muffle
Verb
  • Bill Snyder’s second-greatest football achievement as Kansas State’s legendary head coach, after magically transforming the nation’s most moribund program into a national contender, was to choke the life from his school’s biggest rivalry game.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Among those arrested were individuals accused of choking their partners and assaulting their children, the sheriff’s office said.
    — Tanya Babbar, Houston Chronicle, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • Before he was swallowed by one in Whalefall, Austin Abrams flew to Dominica to see a sperm whale up close.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
  • However, Penn State's attempt at an onside kick was swallowed up by the Wolverines, and that was it.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of swallow
Verb
  • Investigators determined that Blake also had blunt-force injuries and signs of smothering.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Their pursuit of a three-peat has been smothered by the Brewers’ own version of a three-peat, and nearly all hope is lost.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of smother
Verb
  • This amazing energy, the vitality, simply could not be repressed.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The competition is adjudicated in the basal ganglia, structures deep inside the brain that repress all the plans except one.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of repress
Verb
  • The combination of Chance downing teams inside the 10-yard line combined with a suffocating defense could be a recipe for success for TCU in the final half of the season.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Ohio State could still beat USC on the road, even with a backup, considering the Trojans' struggles to win big games under Riley and their suffocating defense.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of suffocate

Browse Nearby Words

stiffs
stifle
stifled
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Cite this Entry

“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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