strangled 1 of 2

adjective

as in choked

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strangled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of strangle
1
as in drowned
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
as in stifled
to refrain from openly showing or uttering strangled a gasp of surprise upon hearing the news

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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
Verb
The remaining eight victims, all children, were suffocated, strangled or beaten to death. — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026 Police say Yosheka Jarmon had been strangled with an electrical cord and one of her arms had been slashed. — Luke Jones, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026 One month later, Rundle raped and strangled 15-year-old LanciAnne Sorenson, whose body was found along an Interstate 80 off-ramp in Loomis. — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026 She was bound, beaten, and naked — strangled to death by one of her stockings. — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2026 Duke initially confessed to striking her during a burglary, while Dukes claimed his friend had strangled her in bed. — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2026 Clancy faced three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children, who were found strangled at the family's home in January 2023. — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026 The lawsuits say Clancy strangled the three children in the basement of the family's Duxbury home during a mental health crisis exacerbated by poor medical treatment and prescription mismanagement. — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 The court heard testimony about the defendant’s mental health at the time the children were found strangled in the Clancys’ Massachusetts home in January 2023. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangled
  1. choked
  2. drowned
  3. stifled
  4. strained
  5. suffocated
  6. suppressed
  7. cracked
  8. smothered
Adjective
  • But the effects of the Middle East conflict, including the choked Strait of Hormuz, hindered that possibility.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The western island of South Sumatra also battled fires, with more than 1,700 hot spots detected on Sunday, causing a choked haze cloud and reducing visibility to only 10 meters (33 feet) in some areas, the ministry said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of choked
Verb
  • His party not only lost control of the House and Senate, but drowned in a blue wave that swept away Republicans in election contests big and small, from sea to shining sea.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD), investigators determined that the girl had drowned within hours of her body being discovered.
    — Sarah Dahlberg, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of drowned
Verb
  • On a Monday night when the Bears defense stifled the Seahawks for much of the game, a takeaway was the only thing missing.
    — Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Like many Jewish sites across Eastern Europe, where the Nazis’ annihilation was followed by decades of Soviet rule that stifled Jewish memory and communal life, the school’s history had been buried.
    — Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of stifled
Adjective
  • That decision left the financially strained athletic department staring at a buyout of roughly $50 million.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The relationship between LaLiga and Real Madrid is beyond strained—see Tebas’ Nazi comments as an example—but on this two agreed that everyone involved had to bend the knee.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of strained
Verb
  • Critics see a once-lively multiethnic crossroads suffocated by Chinese authoritarianism.
    — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby carved through three hitless innings to keep San Diego completely suffocated.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of suffocated
Verb
  • Overall, Ukraine’s air defenses shot down or suppressed 196 Russian drones overnight into Friday.
    — Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Edison mentions an abusive boyfriend of Leonora’s, and there is one scene, set at a public park, where some of Arlo’s suppressed trauma flares violently into the open.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of suppressed
Adjective
  • Inspect the weatherstripping for cracked, compressed or missing foam, vinyl or rubber seals.
    — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Use them to cover a cracked deck, upgrade a front porch, create a barefoot-friendly walkway around a hot tub or pool, or even define a dedicated grilling station that’s easy to sweep clean.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 July 2026
Definition of cracked
Verb
  • The suffocating deliberateness of his monologue smothered the last vestige of hope Helen clung to.
    — Ron Farina, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
  • On the do-over, Mahomes took the snap with 4 seconds left but Roach broke through the line alongside Nik Bonitto and smothered Mahomes for a 6-yard loss.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of smothered

Browse Nearby Words

strangle
strangled
stranglehold
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Cite this Entry

“Strangled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangled. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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