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
Relevance
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
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
Both Democratic and Republican state officials have criticized the effort to prohibit state-level regulations over the next decade, while AI executives have argued that varying state laws would stifle industry growth when the United States is in stiff competition with countries like China.
—
Allan Smith, NBC news, 12 June 2025
Days of record temperatures to abate by midweek The heat dome unleashing stifling heat across the Pacific Northwest is expected to ease by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 11 June 2025
This approach treated most digital assets as unregulated securities subject to traditional registration requirements, creating uncertainty that many industry participants viewed as stifling innovation.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
Meanwhile, pants that are too stiff or heavy can stifle your movement.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Allan Smith, NBC news, 12 June 2025
Days of record temperatures to abate by midweek The heat dome unleashing stifling heat across the Pacific Northwest is expected to ease by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 11 June 2025
This approach treated most digital assets as unregulated securities subject to traditional registration requirements, creating uncertainty that many industry participants viewed as stifling innovation.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
Meanwhile, pants that are too stiff or heavy can stifle your movement.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
-
There was another path—to strangle the regime and empower the people.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
-
And those payments are now strangling the city’s budget.—
Daniel Borenstein,
Mercury News,
17 June 2025
Verb
-
Trump is unsurprisingly attracted to this paradise for the ultra-wealthy, where money is speech, labor is suppressed, dissent is criminalized and a monarch holds all power.—
Sonali Kolhatkar,
Sun Sentinel,
29 June 2025
-
Fed up with the government’s inaction, a group of residents created Polish Smog Alert, an advocacy organization pushing for legislation to suppress the smog.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Verb
-
As of February, staffers from DOGE had pushed top-ranking officials at the Department of Education out of their offices, rearranged the furniture and set up white noise machines to muffle their voices, according to employees at the agency.—
Lora Kolodny,Ari Levy,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Congressional push-back is inevitable, but the promise of tens of thousands of U.S. jobs can muffle many speeches.—
Guney Yildiz,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
Officers then spoke to the second victim, who said Bonds slammed them to the floor and choked them as well.—
Michelle L. Quinn,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
-
Its options are widely considered to include retaliation against U.S. forces in the region as well as choking a major global oil supply route, the Strait of Hormuz.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 June 2025
Verb
-
Such a drastic income reduction would be a tough pill to swallow at a time of soaring inflation, rising housing and medical costs, and longer lifespans.—
Dan Doonan,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
In February, a 36-year-old man swallowed 20 over-the-counter pills.—
Dhruv Mehrotra,
Wired News,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
This speaks to the potential that Iran owes to its heritage, but that has been smothered by a small, inward looking and harsh theocracy, aided and abetted by the Revolutionary Guard who exert de facto control over the Iranian economy as well as other sectors.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
Vines like English ivy, wisteria, honeysuckle, and bittersweet can smother trees and shrubs, block sunlight, and spread aggressively if not controlled early.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 June 2025
Verb
-
President Xi and the Chinese government brutally repress free expression and commit countless human rights violations.—
Jovante Teague,
Sun Sentinel,
17 June 2025
-
Trump is openly envious of oil-rich Gulf States and the leaders who luxuriate in opulent grandeur, while free to repress anyone in their countries who complains about all that.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
While that may not be possible in the NBA, where the new collective bargaining agreement is meant to suffocate its biggest spenders with punitive tax payments and roster-building restrictions, the Dodgers have not been cowed by the limits MLB has tried to set on them.—
Mike Vorkunov,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
-
Montgomery County Jail records show that the NFL star was arrested following an incident at his home that same morning and is accused of assaulting and choking or suffocating an individual.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share