stifle 1 of 3

verb (1)

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

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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

stifling

2 of 3

adjective

as in close
lacking fresh air the lecture hall was stifling until we opened several windows

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stifling

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of stifle
1
as in strangling
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suppressing
to refrain from openly showing or uttering stifled a yawn

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in muffling
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
Verb
Opponents claim the bill will help Live Nation stifle competitors in the resale market and raise prices, according to reporting by CalMatters. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Raman asserted that there have been only three Inside Safe operations in her district and that her committee has been stifled by inaction from the mayor. — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Adjective
For all the deserved talk about the Knicks’ dynamic offense, the defense has been far more stifling than their reputation suggests. — Fred Katz, New York Times, 15 May 2026 Her mother, who had a staid upbringing in California, came to New York in the early sixties looking for someplace more diverse and less stifling. — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
With the city hall's toilets out of order, officials erected emergency toilets over sewer manholes outside the building, in temperatures of around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and stifling humidity. — USA Today, 30 July 2026 Companies often measure past performance, stifling creativity and failing to predict future success. — Nir Bashan, Forbes.com, 21 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
  • This has strangled Iran’s cashflow and closed the strait to Iranian maritime trade.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In May, an 18-year-old freshman reported she was raped and strangled after meeting a man at a fraternity party before returning to her dorm at Tropicana Gardens in Isla Vista.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • Ukraine's air force said Russian forces launched several missiles and 106 drones into the country in its latest barrage, of which three missiles and 85 drones were shot down or otherwise suppressed.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Mulch also helps suppress weeds and dissuades strawberry pests like slugs.
    — Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of suppress
Verb
  • Now the sound was muffled from the hunters as the dogs passed around a canebrake wall bordered by a dark bayou.
    — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Designed to muffle the sound of the Imax camera, the blimp was a revelation for Damon.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of muffle
Verb
  • There were flakes of gray ash on the rocks, and the choking stink of wet soot.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Keeping your registers from getting choked with dust also allows air to flow freely into your home.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • When platforms extract money from those with the least to lose, the immediate tax windfall for the state is swallowed by the long-term public burden.
    — Brianne Doura-Schawohl, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Those include numbness and tingling around the mouth and fingertips, trouble walking, talking or swallowing, sometimes weakness in the upper or lower extremity, balance issues or struggles with episodic memory.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of swallow
Verb
  • Glazed baby back ribs, satisfyingly sticky and spiced with gochujang, come smothered with melting mozzarella for crazy long cheese pulls on Chicago-style, falling-off-the-bone pork.
    — Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Prosecutors say Sneed used a blue-and-white pillow to smother Melodi, her niece, while others slept.
    — Doug Myers, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of smother
Verb
  • The chart surge comes after Bring Me the Horizon’s early catalog was recently repressed and reissued on vinyl as part of the band’s anniversary celebration surrounding two decades of Count Your Blessings.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Neil remembers everything, and doesn’t repress it so much as romanticize it, chasing older men who might replicate that feeling.
    — Joshua Encinias, IndieWire, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of repress
Verb
  • Not all avalanche victims die by asphyxiation — injuries from getting hit by a wall of snow or being swept through trees and rocks can kill people even if they’re not buried or suffocated.
    — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In a Miami courtroom on Friday morning, a man admitted to suffocating his estranged wife and her two young daughters with a plastic bag nearly 14 years ago.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 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 21 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on stifle

Nglish: Translation of stifle for Spanish Speakers

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