strangled 1 of 2

past tense of strangle
1
as in suffocated
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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2
as in throttled
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe the boy complained that he was being strangled by his tie

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3

strangled

2 of 2

adjective

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 strangled
Adjective
Kennedy, 71, has spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition in which the muscles that open and close his vocal cords spasm involuntarily, creating a strained or strangled quality to his speech. Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025 The women were strangled and rendered unconscious during the attack. Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025 An autopsy performed on Friday determined that a man found dead in west suburban Cicero residence was strangled to death. William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025 He was charged with assaulting a family or household member after a woman told authorities Ward strangled and threatened her, according to police records. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025 The mother of two had been stabbed multiple times and was strangled with an electrical cord. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025 Childers was beaten, strangled, bound with an extension cord and stabbed. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Aug. 2025 In previous livestreams, Graven was beaten, strangled, force-fed and peppered with paintballs, according to publications including the Telegraph and CNN that reviewed the content. Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025 Rent regulation laws strengthened during the de Blasio administration have strangled the free market investment in housing for all New Yorkers. Y. David Scharf, New York Daily News, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangled
Verb
  • On the first day of school in August 2023, Jayne Watkin watched as one of her new students came off the bus and double-hand choked three of his peers — an example of the violent behavior that would later extend to her classroom.
    IndyStar, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025
  • All three lakes, man-made in the mid-20th century to accompany thousands of housing units, are regularly choked with algae.
    Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In the background, policy advocates are pushing for a safe harbor model as a legal middle ground, where innovation can flourish without being stifled by excessive regulation.
    Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Liquidity challenges in a global economy stifled by inflation have raised the urgency of fund managers to generate returns for investors, drawing more attention to secondaries.
    Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Associated Press What To Know Maduro's comments come after decades of strained relations between the two countries, with Washington refusing to recognize his presidency since 2019 in favor of the opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
    Suzanne Blake John Feng Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
  • There is nothing funny about the film’s jokey title, which is just a strained metaphor.
    Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • People crushed or suffocated in stampedes.
    Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The Utes executed with precision, scoring on six of seven red zone trips and converting 14 of 16 third-down attempts while their defense suffocated the Bruins.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Defenders shot down or suppressed 112 drones, the air force said.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Until the 1960s, members of this Indigenous minority were discouraged from reindeer herding, and the church and state suppressed their language and culture.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • There are black-and-white scenes from what appears to be a cracked Biblical drama featuring a levitating monk and, to the particular bafflement of the producer, a dancing Pulcinella.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
  • And everything’s not exactly rosy in the core business, which still is dealing with a cracked, state-by-state regulatory environment.
    Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • At least four people drowned at McKinley Beach alone in 2020, which prompted Milwaukee County officials to close it for the remainder of the year — though the closure actually lasted until last spring, with restoration effort complications and an active lifeguard shortage.
    Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Through last Saturday, at least 32 people had drowned in Lake Michigan this year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, which tracks deaths on all five Great Lakes.
    Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Memories from Louisiana In Plaquemines Parish, seven-year-old Corrine English lost nearly everything when the small fishing town of Buras was swallowed by floodwaters.
    Sarah Alegre, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The wind howled, rattling metal signs and tugging at our clothes as the dust swallowed everything in sight.
    Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 2 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Strangled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangled. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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