strangles

verb

Definition of stranglesnext
present tense third-person singular of strangle
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

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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

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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

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 But the same instinct that makes a founder indispensable early is exactly what strangles the organization later. — Daria Rudnik, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 Their target, Yousaf (Rahul Khanna), strangles the young trainee Annelise (Gillian Alexy) to death—making for a second botched operation in one episode. — Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangles
  1. chokes
  2. stifles
  3. suffocates
  4. suppresses
  5. smothers
  6. swallows
  7. drowns
  8. destroys
Verb
  • Remove chokes from artichokes and steam in small amount of water for 15 minutes, adding water to pan as needed.
    — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • Connecticut’s largest cities also struggle with the state’s highest property tax rates, which chokes business growth and, in turn, shifts more burden onto residential owners.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026
Definition of chokes
Verb
  • Vicki Phillips challenges the notion that AI inherently stifles creativity.
    — Vicki Phillips, Forbes.com, 7 July 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
Definition of stifles
Verb
  • The pure, post-Bee Gees charisma Bellamy mustered in the 2000s seems to have vacated him entirely, and the song’s funkiness suffocates under the flatness of his delivery.
    — Liam Inscoe-Jones, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of suffocates
Verb
  • Normally, this modifier gene suppresses the creation of a second kind of hemoglobin, typically made only during fetal development; repressing the gene prompts cells to start making the fetal form of hemoglobin again, which acts as a backup.
    — Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • Enbrel partially suppresses the immune system, reducing damage from rheumatoid arthritis and five other diseases where the body attacks its own tissues.
    — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 7 July 2026
Definition of suppresses
Verb
  • Up in the attic, a melty miasma smothers the thick winter coats, which hurt me to even look at.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of smothers
Verb
  • Newspapers report it all, and the American citizenry swallows it whole.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026
  • In an ideal world, Blueger lines up as the middleman of an energetic fourth line that swallows up defensive-zone draws.
    — Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Definition of swallows
Verb
  • Most of the peril comes with dangerous ship-wrecking moments, including one that implies the death of Moana's relative, while our heroine herself almost drowns on her first voyage from land.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026
  • The show involved bizarre, absurdist comedy premises — in one episode, a man drowns in a bowl of Mary’s chicken soup — and satirized the effects of consumerism on the American housewife.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 July 2026
Definition of drowns
Verb
  • The technology was developed and tested in close collaboration with a person living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurological disease that gradually destroys the nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movement.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026
  • The human contribution that remains is precisely the kind of thinking that fragmentation destroys.
    — Faustino Júnior, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of destroys

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strangleholds
strangles
strangling
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Cite this Entry

“Strangles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangles. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on strangles

Nglish: Translation of strangles for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about strangles

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