1
as in chokes
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in throttles
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
3
as in stifles
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
strangled a gasp of surprise upon hearing the news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strangles
Mostly, though, Boland strangles batters with his suffocating and deadly-accurate line and length.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
What starts as an innocent father/daughter college visit takes a shocking turn when Tony brutally strangles a Mob turncoat.
—Dan Snierson, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Dec. 2025
What worked at ten employees strangles progress at one hundred.
—Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
At that point, both Hsiao-Lee’s life and our perspective open up toward something more hopeful, even if plenty of turmoil — including another unbearable scene in which Chiang nearly strangles Chuan to death — continues back home.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
What starts as an innocent father/daughter college visit takes a shocking turn when Tony brutally strangles a Mob turncoat.
—Dan Snierson, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Dec. 2025
What worked at ten employees strangles progress at one hundred.
—Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
At that point, both Hsiao-Lee’s life and our perspective open up toward something more hopeful, even if plenty of turmoil — including another unbearable scene in which Chiang nearly strangles Chuan to death — continues back home.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangles
Verb
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Their inclusion on the recent flight comes as the United States chokes the nation’s oil supplies in a bid for negotiations that could end up in regime change, sparking questions about whether Cuba will take more deportations to ease the political and economic pressure.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
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This determines whether Precinct 4 thrives or chokes on its own growth.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Avoid heavy garden soil, which compacts easily and stifles bulb growth.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
6 Feb. 2026
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Administrative red tape stifles growth Beyond direct financial costs, small business owners are struggling with a sudden increase in bureaucratic red tape.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Complexity is exactly what suffocates scale.—
May Habib,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
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Both novel and opera include a scene in which Salvador Dalí almost suffocates after getting his head stuck in a scuba helmet at an art opening.—
Emma Allen,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This reduces carbon reactivity and suppresses side reactions during high-voltage cycling.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
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The brief court appearance focused on extending a gag order that suppresses the identities of victims and survivors of the attack who have not chosen to identify themselves publicly.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Feb. 2026
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The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Straining at a gnat, the majority swallows a camel.—
Ben Fenwick,
Oklahoma Watch,
12 Feb. 2026
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Because of that, engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed a pill that confirms when someone swallows it.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Low and invisible ambient light under stormy skies typically drowns out the light that coronae emit in the visible spectrum our eyes can see, so their camera and periscope system made that lower light more visible.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
25 Feb. 2026
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First into his life comes Jessie involved in a shipwreck with her uncle, a past colleague of Mason’s, who drowns in a vicious storm and almost takes Jessie down with him before she is heroically rescued from near death by Mason, who brings her out of the drink and then back to life.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In 2024, a team identified the molecular mechanisms behind the microbe that destroys bananas.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
19 Feb. 2026
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View gallery - 3 images Watch as a team of drones destroys their target in a demonstration of Fury.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strangles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangles. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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