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

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
3
as in to muffle
to deaden the sound of he stifled a cough with his hand

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 This is the third round of arrests linked to independent bookstores after similar operations in March and June that were widely seen as stifling dissent in the Asian financial hub. — Kanis Leung, Fortune, 16 July 2026 On a stifling summer afternoon, Brian Johnson is pumping his fist and letting loose his unholy yowl. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 16 July 2026 Defense prevailed in the final FIFA World Cup match in Dallas-Fort Worth, as Spain stifled rival France 2-0 in the semifinals Tuesday at AT&T Stadium. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026 While record-breaking heatwaves continue to stifle Europe and the United States this summer—causing fights over air conditioning units in France and record wildfires in Spain—heading to the Hamptons is starting to feel like a baseline move. — Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 15 July 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
  • Witnesses speculated that the markings could be a sign she was strangled, raising concerns about possible foul play.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
  • One of the women who alleged she was strangled also accused him of rape, whipping her with a belt and pointing a gun in her face.
    — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • Air rises above the now warmer Pacific, then sinks down over parts of the western Atlantic basin, helping suppress the storms that could grow into a tropical system.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The Nazis also took more active measures to suppress the film.
    — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 18 July 2026
Definition of suppress
Verb
  • Plus, darker tones help muffle visual clutter, creating a calming mood that feels loads richer than your budget might suggest.
    — Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 8 July 2026
  • But the lack of competitive consequences for floundering clubs does very little to muffle those pushing for pro/rel.
    — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of muffle
Verb
  • Cotton is one of more than 100 million people across the Midwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic breathing in dangerous air brought by thick, choking plumes of smoke from wildfires in Canada.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The trend, which was popular on TikTok at the time, involves intentionally choking oneself or holding one’s breath until passing out.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • TDEs are more common to supermassive black holes with masses of about 100,000 to 100 million suns, because supermassive black holes with masses over 1 billion solar masses tend to immediately swallow their stellar snacks.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 July 2026
  • At the beach, drinking seawater or swallowing sand can also make dogs sick.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 21 July 2026
Definition of swallow
Verb
  • Rodri, Spain’s captain and the anchor of the team’s smothering defense during its unbeaten World Cup run, won the Golden Ball award as the outstanding player of the tournament.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
  • Exemplary off-ball discipline and application go a long way to explaining the pattern of this game, but the extent to which Argentina were smothered in their seventh World Cup final was a huge surprise.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of smother
Verb
  • When elites are strong, dictators need to accommodate them, often by repressing outsiders to shield insiders from potential challenges.
    — José Kaire, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
  • The government of husband-and-wife copresidents, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, has been carrying out an all-out crackdown on dissent since mass social protests in 2018 that the government violently repressed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026
Definition of repress
Verb
  • New York has had excellent stretches, such as the team’s undefeated Commissioner’s Cup run, when their offense moves from side to side, their shotmaking reaches elite levels and their length is suffocating on defense.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Each incident was met with a familiar, suffocating silence — minimized, forgiven and swept away.
    — Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 20 July 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 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of stifle for Spanish Speakers

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