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 Dolphins’ front seven, led by defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and Jordyn Brooks, must stifle the Kansas City run game. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026 But the cumbersome requirements for taking the drugs, as well as a series of safety concerns, stifled their use. — Allison Deangelis, STAT, 23 Sep. 2026 Perhaps that’s why the book was successfully stifled not only in Fort Worth but across the country, Williams said. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026 The reform plans include a potentially painful overhaul of the creaking pension system, a reduction of Germany’s stifling bureaucracy and cuts to income tax for low- and middle-income families. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 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
  • The erosion of ocean governance could pave the way for China to blockade Taiwan, Russia to strangle Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, or the United States to seize maritime control around Greenland.
    — Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The shipping strikes aimed to strangle Crimea into an energy and supply crisis.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • These adjectives express the behavior that Reilly studied movies to learn how to suppress.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Becerra seems to either be suppressing a cough or hyperventilating at the bit of responding to Hilton’s vaccine vacuousness.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppress
Verb
  • Attempts to muffle creative voices through bullying and strong-arm tactics are fundamentally anti-American and have become all too common in recent years.
    — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 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
  • Wartime attacks on cargo vessels in the Black Sea have choked that supply route.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • However, wartime attacks on cargo vessels in the Black Sea have choked that supply route, raising fears of shortages.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • What makes the news even tougher to swallow is that Horn had been healthy for the better part of the last three seasons after overcoming a lot of health issues early on in his NFL career.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In what probably should’ve been a tell, when AT&T acquired it in 2018, the telecom swallowed Time Warner whole and there was no trace of the Warner name.
    — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of swallow
Verb
  • One holdover from the previous establishment is Nettie’s lasagna ($33), a robust slab of bechamel and noodles smothered in cheese — pure comfort food.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The 10-ounce Kansas City strip steak comes smothered in steak butter for $40.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of smother
Verb
  • The government accountability group then stepped in seeking to preserve the public’s right to challenge any motion to repress or expunge the report.
    — Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Rooted in opposition to the oppression and discrimination of women in Iran, the movement also seeks freedom for all Iranians systemically repressed by the Islamic government.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of repress
Verb
  • Holding a yellow Sedano’s bag, Rifkin told the jury Sierra placed a plastic bag just like it over Machado’s head and suffocated her.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Investigators said Sierra forced the family inside the home and locked the girls in a bedroom before taking Machado into the master bedroom and suffocating her with a plastic bag.
    — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 29 Sep. 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 4 Oct. 2026.

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