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
Property tax policy, zoning, land use rules, and environmental review requirements all stifle new construction.
—
Ed Towns, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
But any interference with shipments passing through the area could impact the global oil market by stifling supplies, according to experts.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 23 June 2025
Although real wages increased, productivity didn’t, fueling inflation and the threat of stagflation outside of the military, and stifling investments in non-defense sectors.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 22 June 2025
During nationwide protests in 2022, authorities implemented multiple internet shutdowns in an effort to stifle dissent.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Ed Towns, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
But any interference with shipments passing through the area could impact the global oil market by stifling supplies, according to experts.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 23 June 2025
Although real wages increased, productivity didn’t, fueling inflation and the threat of stagflation outside of the military, and stifling investments in non-defense sectors.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 22 June 2025
During nationwide protests in 2022, authorities implemented multiple internet shutdowns in an effort to stifle dissent.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
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At one point, her former sweetheart tried to leap from his chair to strangle her.—
Mara Bovsun,
New York Daily News,
28 June 2025
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Tania Thomas, 47, was strangled to death in July 2024 during a multi-day conjugal visit with husband Anthony Desean Curry.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Rutter suggests using a white noise generator to muffle the loud booms of the fireworks.—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
24 June 2025
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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
Verb
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For more than a minute, audio captures the sounds of a struggle: grunting, choking.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
3 July 2025
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As a result, millions more children and vulnerable people will be forced to choke on toxic fumes while manufacturing executives pour more money into dying steel plants.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Verb
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If contaminated floodwater is swallowed, or pollutes drinking water, this can lead to gastrointestinal illnesses such as stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
11 July 2025
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Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria.—
Matt Cannon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
Verb
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The Bulls have already tried to deal Vučević to the Warriors once in a trade deadline deal that was smothered, in part, by the Jimmy Butler move with the Miami Heat.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
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Temperatures have skyrocketed over recent days as a dangerous heat dome has smothered the northeast.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Stevens’s reflections on his years of service reveal what’s pulsing beneath his composure: the choice to look away from troubling secrets and repress personal desires.—
Mia Barzilay Freund,
Vogue,
7 July 2025
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They were also celebrated by millions of ordinary Indians who have been repressed by Modi’s Hindu nationalist policies.—
HARTOSH SINGH BAL,
Foreign Affairs,
30 June 2025
Verb
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The unnamed mother is suing Happy Day Preschool on Paseo Boulevard after her son suffocated to death on a couch in the building, according to court documents.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
2 July 2025
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The discovery strengthens the case against Decker, who remains at large nearly a month after the girls were found suffocated near his vehicle.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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