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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
In articles, litigation, and other public forums, leaders of those organizations argued that rather than stifle hate groups, prosecuting hate speakers would draw attention to their ideas and increase the following of these organizations.
—
Time, 29 Sep. 2025
That push-and-pull has often forced officials to walk a fine line of calling for change but stifling talk of gun control.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
Court filings over the past three years have detailed the decades-long saga behind both investigations, describing how police were stifled repeatedly and left with nowhere to turn, until one woman living on the streets of Fairfield came forward with a tip that changed everything.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Leaders from Center for Arizona Policy and Arizona Free Enterprise Club said already the law had stifled their ability to collect donations and conduct advocacy work.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Time, 29 Sep. 2025
That push-and-pull has often forced officials to walk a fine line of calling for change but stifling talk of gun control.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
Court filings over the past three years have detailed the decades-long saga behind both investigations, describing how police were stifled repeatedly and left with nowhere to turn, until one woman living on the streets of Fairfield came forward with a tip that changed everything.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Leaders from Center for Arizona Policy and Arizona Free Enterprise Club said already the law had stifled their ability to collect donations and conduct advocacy work.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
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According to the lawsuit, her suicidal thoughts escalated in June 2023 after another patient attempted to strangle herself and staff failed to intervene, even as the unnamed patient turned blue.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
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Scott was convicted of participating in the 1981 murder of Larry Miner, who was tied up, beaten, strangled and stabbed.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Multiple fire departments worked to suppress the blaze, police said.—
Charles Ventura,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Tigers pitchers, meanwhile, rank 14th in suppressing home runs.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Riley said that would muffle sound produced by the data center.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
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This is the perfect opportunity for the Business Roundtable to advocate for its members in a forceful, direct challenge to the administration, but it has been perplexingly muffled.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Previous unbeatens Florida State and USC — favorites — choked on the road.—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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In the afterglow of her magnificent album, choke enough, and the birth of her first child, Marylou Mayniel decamps to the southwest of France.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Reeves and Winter are often swallowed up by the bottomless void their characters occupy, with very little room to let loose and play.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
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Massive plumes of thick, black smoke filled the sky and swallowed up the tall, white spire.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Instead, the Cowboys played Cover 2, and that look was smothered, so Love checked the ball down to running back Emanuel Wilson, who tried to make cornerback DaRon Bland miss with an inside move but was tackled for a loss of 1 with the clock running.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Tight end Dalton Kincaid continues to be a steady target in the middle of the field, and the Buffalo defense has been just as dominant, smothering passing attacks and forcing timely turnovers.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This Committee was initially created during the McCarthy Era, a dark time when the federal government repressed and persecuted American citizens for their political beliefs.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
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Daniel Morejón García, a former Ministry of Interior agent accused of repressing July 11 protesters in 2021 was deported to Cuba in July.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Denver comes into the game with a fantastic defense that completely suffocated Jake Browning and the Cincinnati Bengals.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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The crowd was relentless with a suffocating pressure throughout the match.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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