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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stifle
Suárez could be awfully effective in San Francisco with the marine layer stifling deep fly balls on chilly nights by the bay.
—
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
In the past, such a storm would typically have churned up cold water from below the surface and stifled its own growth, according to Andy Hazelton, a hurricane modeler and associate scientist with the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2025
But local rules designed to preserve neighborhoods now stifle housing development, reformers say.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Moving guys on and off the field delayed Dowdle’s impact and stifled Hubbard’s opportunity for beat-by-beat momentum.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
In the past, such a storm would typically have churned up cold water from below the surface and stifled its own growth, according to Andy Hazelton, a hurricane modeler and associate scientist with the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2025
But local rules designed to preserve neighborhoods now stifle housing development, reformers say.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Moving guys on and off the field delayed Dowdle’s impact and stifled Hubbard’s opportunity for beat-by-beat momentum.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
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The man previously on Florida’s Death Row for beating, stabbing and strangling a La Carreta waitress with a rice cooker — before lighting a blaze to destroy key evidence — should be condemned to die, Miami prosecutors told a jury after detailing the slaying on Wednesday morning.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
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Their strategy seems to be to strangle the capital and provoke unrest against the military junta.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Higher rates reduce investment, spending, and economic activity, which naturally suppresses hiring.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
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The reason for this striking look is the inhibitor gene which suppresses pigment deposition at the base of the hair shaft, giving the cat the shimmering effect.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ignore that muffled screaming in the distance, that’s just the TV overlords punching air.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
28 Oct. 2025
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To this end, Eckley planted hedges of Leyland cypress, which, at up to 16 feet tall, help provide privacy and muffle noise.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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During the previous school year, the boy strangled and choked a teacher and pulled up a female classmate’s dress and touched her inappropriately on the school playground, the lawsuit claims.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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The figure of Achilles, a warrior who singlehandedly choked a river with dead enemies before taking on the river god himself, provided a model for Alexander the Great and persists in contemporary popular entertainment, political speech, and military culture in celebrations of shock and awe.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And businesses that have so far swallowed the tariffs without raising prices may not be able to for much longer.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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The earth opened and swallowed my father, literally.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Burn a candle, for example, and the flame will quickly smother itself as smoke crowds around the wick with no oxygen to feed it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
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Smothered Turf The wet leaves smother the grass by blocking sunlight, reducing photosynthesis, and slowing oxygen flow to the soil.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Perceptive politicians understand that a rising opposition force that aims to replace the entire system has to be co-opted, not simply repressed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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This week is pushing you to speak up and stop repressing your truth.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The searing drama follows the titular socialite (Tessa Thompson) over the course of one opulent, suffocating party.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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As the Netflix series often attempted to bring light to the real mistreatment faced by incarcerated people, Poussey’s death at the hands of a police officer who suffocated her was intended to shed light on the real police brutality Black inmates in particular face.—
Catherine Mhloyi,
Them.,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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