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
Nate comes back to life and strangles Cassie in a dark green Bottega Veneta suit, then Maddy saves her.
—
Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
Over-regulation strangles the economy!
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
Ground cover plants around trees can lead to root girdling—where the cover essentially strangles the tree, threatening its health.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 30 Apr. 2026
As Iran strangles the Strait of Hormuz, countries have scrambled for alternative routes.
—Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
As Grace looks on in horror, her soon-to-be husband strangles Ursula and snaps her neck.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
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
Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
Over-regulation strangles the economy!
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
Ground cover plants around trees can lead to root girdling—where the cover essentially strangles the tree, threatening its health.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 30 Apr. 2026
As Iran strangles the Strait of Hormuz, countries have scrambled for alternative routes.
—Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
As Grace looks on in horror, her soon-to-be husband strangles Ursula and snaps her neck.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangles
Verb
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Not the one who chokes in the playoffs.—
Geoff Clark OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
Democratic lawmakers aren’t particularly sympathetic to the industry, pointing to reports of soaring profits for oil companies as the war chokes consumers around the world.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
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That stifles competition at home and, with China’s dependence on global consumption, raises concerns about dumping and deflation abroad.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
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Balance the state budget and tackle affordability while working with cities to promote small businesses to hire more by creating a business friendly environment such as cutting taxes and cutting red tape that stifles growth.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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More than the page itself, the routine summons the part of his conscience that survives on muscle memory and suffocates uncertainty.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
23 May 2026
-
Constantly soggy soil suffocates roots and invites rot — the plant equivalent of trench foot.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The answer is that dim residential lighting, at intensities typical of a porch light, suppresses mosquito dormancy more powerfully than even urban warming does.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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Pregnancy suppresses the immune system, and dozens of pregnant women or women who had recently given birth died from COVID in California.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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But needy, possessive Nikki smothers Bear, and what plays out is a horrifying tale of obsessive love gone wrong — sour, curdled and violent.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
23 May 2026
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Carson smothers it over a crisp and shattering tortilla with tart pickled jalapeño, silky avocado crema and a blizzard of cotija cheese.—
Louisa Kung Liu Chu,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sinkhole at LaGuardia swallows plans One of only two runways at New York’s bustling LaGuardia Airport remains closed as fallout from Wednesday’s discovery of a sinkhole on the pavement spills into the weekend.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
22 May 2026
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Free agency slows down, and the draft swallows three days of American civic life.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The more militants are killed, the deeper the city drowns in militant Shia iconography.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
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However, the actor does most of the heavy lifting, even as Nemes’ aesthetic approach drowns the frame in striking shadows — a contrast made deep and inviting by Mátyás Erdély’s 35mm photography.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Then comes the eruption of a giant, bright fireball that destroys the rocket and its launchpad.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
29 May 2026
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that a person needs to walk, talk, swallow and breathe, according to the ALS Assn.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strangles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangles. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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