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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 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 The Jets' stifling defense forced a turnover early in the fourth quarter when Kingsley Enagbare forced Lloyd to fumble and Harrison Phillips recovered. — Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026 With technology advancing quickly, regulators are trying to keep up while also facing pressure not to stifle innovation. — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 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
  • While he was gone, she is accused of taking her three children — Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan — down to the basement in their family home and using exercise bands to strangle them.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • While on the phone with 911, Patrick entered the home and found that Lindsay had strangled the children.
    — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • The system is designed to amplify speech while using machine learning to suppress background noise.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
  • When the skin’s community of protective bacteria was suppressed with antibiotics, the frogs became more likely to develop signs of disease.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 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
  • He was brought to the prison infirmary, where numerous guards surrounded, punched, kicked, choked, dropped and manhandled him.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
  • During their time dating, Flowers’ friends and family received a video of Plummer striking Flowers, choking her and throwing her to the ground, prosecutors said.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • Located along the coast near the scenic coastal city of Yachats, the dramatic natural feature resembles a bottomless hole swallowing the Pacific Ocean.
    — Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Between a courier caught in the middle of a zombie virus outbreak and a scuba diver swallowed whole by a sperm whale, both films put Abrams’ respective lead characters, Bryan and Jay, through uniquely harrowing one-man crucibles.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of swallow
Verb
  • If the grass is not actively growing, topdressing can smother the roots.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma rushes out and smothers the ball.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 15 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
  • Miami’s final possession of the first half ended with Miami kicking a field goal from San Francisco’s 5-yard line because a holding call on rookie left guard Kadyn Proctor suffocated the drive.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Coffee grounds suffocate roots, causing rot and depleting nitrogen needed for growth.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 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 27 Sep. 2026.

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