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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stifle
Between hugs and stifled tears, players walked up to sift through them.
—
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The space was stifling in the Louisiana heat, so fans were blowing for everyone inside.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Like the face-to-face collaboration benefits lost at GISS, employees fear shutting down Goddard's cafeteria will be stifling.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The space was stifling in the Louisiana heat, so fans were blowing for everyone inside.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Like the face-to-face collaboration benefits lost at GISS, employees fear shutting down Goddard's cafeteria will be stifling.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
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Fujita was 20 in 2013 when he was found guilty of strangling and stabbing his former high school girlfriend to death in Wayland.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Mostly, though, Boland strangles batters with his suffocating and deadly-accurate line and length.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit alleges that for more than a decade, beginning at least as early as January 2015, Pepsi and Walmart used their dominant positions in the beverage and grocery markets to suppress price competition.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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The largest anti-government demonstrations to rock Iran in recent years intensified Friday night, fueling fears of growing fatalities as authorities battle to suppress the protests.—
Arsalan Shahla,
Fortune,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This can be countered with skewed propeller blades to distribute pressure evenly, pump jets where a rotor is set inside a shroud to muffle noises, or low-RPM, high-torque designs to cut down on vibrations.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Dec. 2025
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Although the snow sometimes muffles the thunder, the lightning can be seen, said meteorologist Grant Gilmore, formerly of WFMY-TV in Greensboro, North Carolina.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
25 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This isn't the first time - or even the second - Johnson has used his training to save a child from choking.—
Nick Caloway,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
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Local news outlets, however, reported that the actor has been in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Seoul after collapsing while choking on food at his home.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Both are on a mission, handing out flyers for Luis’ missing daughter, Mar, swallowed by the seemingly endless nomadic rave culture.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
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Despite its charm, it hasn’t been swallowed by the tourist surge that defines nearby Lake Tahoe.—
Amplified Content Studio,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That is some smothering defense!—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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The matrilineal passage of power—made known by crying tears of blood—has been smothered and controlled by men, but thanks to their new abilities, the twins escape their mother and her malicious husband.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Instead, officials engaged in a vicious crusade to repress whoever dared challenge the outcome.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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His name has been associated with police operations carried out in the context of protests, detentions, and crowd-control actions executed by the PNB, a force that since its creation has played a central role in repressing political dissent.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The silence in that room — not just from the Doppler, but in the air — was suffocating.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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The way Seattle’s defense suffocated San Francisco’s offense, Robert Saleh’s crew needed to be perfect.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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