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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stifle
The Angels’ offense was stifled in a 10-inning, 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners during their home opener Friday night in front of 44,931 fans at Angel Stadium.
—
Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn 62-48 on Friday night, ending the Huskies' 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women's NCAA Tournament championship game.
—CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Critics say that trademarking the name of a common business model stifles the still-nascent heirloom and specialty beans market — a growing community of companies, farmers and influencers trying to increase consumption of beans, one of the most climate- and health-friendly foods around.
—Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2026
Academic journals struggled to put out issues, stifled by high printing costs and staff layoffs, scrounging for enough articles to fill their pages and paying subscribers to read them.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn 62-48 on Friday night, ending the Huskies' 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women's NCAA Tournament championship game.
—CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Critics say that trademarking the name of a common business model stifles the still-nascent heirloom and specialty beans market — a growing community of companies, farmers and influencers trying to increase consumption of beans, one of the most climate- and health-friendly foods around.
—Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2026
Academic journals struggled to put out issues, stifled by high printing costs and staff layoffs, scrounging for enough articles to fill their pages and paying subscribers to read them.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
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The following month, a hit squad, reportedly acting on bin Salman’s orders, strangled Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist who had been critical of the regime, and used a bone saw to dismember his corpse.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Invasive vines like Virginia creeper, English ivy, and buckthorn can strangle trees, for example, and some aggressive trees may spread via underground suckers and roots.—
Peg Aloi,
The Spruce,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, said its forces faced 6,462 Russian drones and 138 missiles of various types across the course of the month, of which 5,833 drones and 102 missiles -- around 90% of drones and just under 74% of missiles -- were intercepted or suppressed.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
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Declining immigration is constraining labor supply, higher productivity is suppressing labor demand, business activity captured by our Texas Business Outlook Surveys recently moderated, and geopolitical uncertainty is elevated.—
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The rhythmic sounds of construction muffle the thud of farmers' hoes on a chilly morning in Rwanda 's capital, where new efforts aim to protect remaining agricultural land from relentless development in Africa's most densely populated country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
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While Hazel Avenue is a busy street, traffic cannot be heard from inside the house and is muffled in the front yard.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Milne had grabbed his wife by the neck, choked her, dragged her around, restrained her, punched her and knocked her unconscious.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
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Hospital staff later found her husband choking and struggling to breathe.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Duke swallowed an olive the size of my head.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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According to the notice, botulism can cause symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When his team returned to the deep-sea site, however, its brilliant colors were smothered under a blanket of fluffy gray scum.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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Servers also handed out Impossible nuggets smothered in mustard, which vanished just as fast.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Reforms often required strong executive power, largely at the expense of social stability and democratic legitimacy; protests against the IMF’s programs left scores dead as authorities repressed dissent.—
Sven van Mourik,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
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Iran, where major protests in January were brutally repressed, has between 50% and 60% under 30.—
John Rennie Short,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Anna Frenza wakes up suddenly, suffocating from smoke and spitting ash.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Apr. 2026
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But their suffocating defense and strong interior play were enough to earn the program its first national title since 1989.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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