STRANGLE Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

strangle

verb

ˈstraŋ-gəl

Definition of strangle

as in to choke

to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air the gull got tangled in a piece of fishing line on the beach and was strangled

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to throttle

to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe the boy complained that he was being strangled by his tie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to stifle

to refrain from openly showing or uttering strangled a gasp of surprise upon hearing the news

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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 strangle Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, doesn’t deny strangling her children in the basement of their home in 2023. — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Clancy, 36, strangled her three children – Cora, 5; Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months – at the family's home in January 2023. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 The jury could consider first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter charges in the trial of the Massachusetts mother accused of murder after strangling her three young children in 2023. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 Patrick Clancy, her then-husband who found his three children after they were strangled, testified early in the trial. — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for strangle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangle

Verb

Advocates argue carts are silent, occupy less space than tourist vans and buses, and don’t choke the air with exhaust that also stains historic monuments.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Chief among them is the war in Iran, which analysts view as a stalemate that has choked major maritime arteries for oil and gas.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of choke

Verb

Shipping has been stifled in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil supply flowed prior to the war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
In Foam, Zambreno has further figured out how to express love for art amidst the often-stifling pressures of daily life as a perpetual adjunct, parent, and renter with no financial safety net.

— Catherine G. Wagley, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of stifle

Verb

That’s what happened here as our little record store was basically being suffocated in its own little nerdism.

— E.R. Pulgar, SPIN, 1 Sep. 2026
Amazon also faces another sweeping lawsuit by the FTC and 17 states that paints the company as a monopolist that suffocates competitors and raises costs for both sellers and shoppers.

— Alina Selyukh, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of suffocate

Verb

The superconductivity weakened with the screening and was eventually completely suppressed.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
The prairies’ clayey soils and other characteristics suppress tree growth, but allow native grasses, wildflowers and other herbaceous plants to thrive.

— Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of suppress

Verb

One jumper is famous for having smothered miles of flames with his jacket; in Alaska, jumpers have used spruce boughs and burlap bags filled with moss.

— M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Both experts agree that a thick layer of top dressing can actually smother your grass.

— Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of smother

Verb

Officials added that people cannot become infected with Naegleria fowleri by swallowing contaminated water; however, the amoeba can enter the body when it is forcefully introduced, such as through the nose into the brain.

— Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Brushing against a lily can leave pollen on its coat, which the cat may later swallow while grooming.

— Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of swallow

Verb

After a 2-year-old drowned in a backyard swimming pool in July 2025, Fatehi considered filing felony murder charges against his mother, who had passed out from drinking at the time of the accident.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Estimates of the death toll range from roughly 1 million to 4 million, with later deaths attributed to famine and disease as well as drowning.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of drown

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“Strangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangle. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of strangle

verb

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