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
Relevance
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
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 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
-
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
-
Micromanagement stifles creativity, motivation, and productivity.—
Maria Ross,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The tension suffocates as He-Man reaches for his Power Sword, but Skeletor isn't backing down here either.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
3 June 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Cycle syncing also doesn’t translate cleanly for women on hormonal birth control, which suppresses the natural cycle, or for those in perimenopause, when phases become irregular.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 June 2026
-
Warm water is pushed eastward and suppresses colder water from rising to the surface.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Dark wood furniture swallows light and takes up floor space in hallways.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
7 June 2026
-
Infection can happen when someone accidentally swallows contaminated water from pools, splashpads, lakes, or rivers.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Drenching the nest and surrounding area with water drowns workers and possibly the queen, which disrupts the colony.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
10 June 2026
-
The more militants are killed, the deeper the city drowns in militant Shia iconography.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Standard recycling destroys the whole part just to clean it.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
-
The mechanism is an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO, abundant in bananas, which destroys flavanols both during blending and inside the stomach.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strangles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangles. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
