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
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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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Bond chokes Blofeld, who quickly dies from the virus.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
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Much of the work focused on pulling out English ivy, an invasive vine known for slowly killing trees, and clearing debris that chokes the forest floor.—
Brian Unger,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 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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Aristidou utilizes Danae, whose controlling dad suffocates her with his seemingly overbearing rigidness, as a counterpoint to the other extreme of fatherhood.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
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Overwatering is the most common cause of yellow ficus leaves, as soggy soil suffocates roots.—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This spatial separation suppresses charge recombination and lowers reaction energy barriers.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
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The pattern suppresses storm systems, keeps skies mostly clear and summons above-normal temperatures for days at a time.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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If either smothers the grass for long periods, this can compact soil and lead to mold problems.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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There is also something about a theme park that swallows you up.—
Kimberly Zapata,
Parents,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
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What should be a fast minimum viable product (MVP) becomes a bloated prototype that delays launch and drowns out real user feedback.—
Renae Gregoire,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The rising trend was driven by wellness influencers and raw milk advocates who believe that the pasteurization process destroys bioactives, which are chemicals found in plants and certain foods that promote good health.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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Composting leaves destroys juglone in 6 to 12 months, but hulls take much longer.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strangles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangles. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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