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
Betts collected one hit in his five at-bats Monday, striking out with a runner on third in the third inning to stifle one of the Dodgers’ early chances against Giants starter Trevor McDonald.
—
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Birds eat and digest the seeds, then the plant grows in dense stands and blocks sunlight from reaching other young plants, overcrowding or stifling other species.
—Sarah Everett, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
Redick added that part of what Holmgren has done, overhelping on defense and forcing Ayton toward the perimeter, has stifled the 7-footer’s production.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
Stoner refuses to let his passion for literature be stifled.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Birds eat and digest the seeds, then the plant grows in dense stands and blocks sunlight from reaching other young plants, overcrowding or stifling other species.
—Sarah Everett, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
Redick added that part of what Holmgren has done, overhelping on defense and forcing Ayton toward the perimeter, has stifled the 7-footer’s production.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
Stoner refuses to let his passion for literature be stifled.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
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Just as with Weaver, Vesey was bound with electrical cords before she was raped and strangled, the papers state.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
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Luis Benitez-Gonzalez, a 26-year-old previously deported Mexican national, is accused of strangling two women in the area of Austin, Texas, in 2018 and 2024.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Dramatic currents, once suppressed, here bloom unashamed.—
Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
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Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Nolan's team and IMAX worked together to create a special housing for the camera to muffle the sound of its operation.—
Will Croxton,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
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The sound-muffling fabrics, carpets, ceiling tiles, tablecloths and rugs that used to decorate restaurants are deemed too stuffy these days, and even upholstered booths are being replaced by more barebones tables — and lots of them, close together.—
Allyson Reedy,
Denver Post,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The Strait of Hormuz remains choked.—
Jason Kirsch,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
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The woman said she was beaten and choked for hours.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Verb
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People who have trouble swallowing or who have scarring, inflammation, or narrowing of the esophagus (stricture) should not eat dry chia seeds and should talk with a healthcare provider before eating even soaked chia seeds.—
Amber J. Tresca,
Verywell Health,
16 May 2026
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Then Doris and her family are sent off on the train, swallowed whole by the Holocaust.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The heat in the car is like an aunt who does not stop smothering us.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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The reddish-brown mud that smothered Bok Kongphan's Hawaii farm has hardened in the tropical sun.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Don’t repress your thoughts, but don’t react just to prove a point either.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
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Even before the war began, hardship and inflation provoked nationwide protests that were brutally repressed.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Text wraps around you like a dreadful whisper, with an eye to suffocate.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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But his chairmanship’s suffocating high interest rates created a palatable cure.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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