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strangling

verb

present participle of strangle
1
as in choking
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 throttling
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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3
as in stifling
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 strangling Jurors continue to speak out in the days after a mistrial was declared for Massachusetts mom Lindsay Clancy in the strangling deaths of her three children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026 The jurors, including the foreperson, shared more about the behind-the-scenes deliberations over whether Clancy should be held criminally liable for strangling her three children. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 Corie Walsh, 40, of Frankfort – an Illinois village southwest of Chicago – is accused of strangling her son Barrett to death, according to court documents. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026 Mikel Arteta’s champions are built around a solid defence and strangling the opposition through possession, while Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea have had very little of the ball during his first few games, but have still built an exciting style. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Prosecutors tried to convict Massachusetts mom Lindsay Clancy of first-degree murder and send her to prison for life for strangling her three young children. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026 Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, doesn’t deny strangling her children in the basement of their home in 2023. — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 The project is now being shut down at the end of August, further strangling Norman’s homeless support services as the crisis deepens. — Jake Ramsey, Oklahoma Watch, 30 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangling
  1. choking
  2. stifling
  3. drowning
  4. suppressing
  5. suffocating
  6. swallowing
  7. smothering
Verb
  • The strait has become an increasingly important route for Saudi oil since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, choking Gulf exports.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Many squish toys rely on a special filling to get that enjoyable texture, but this filling can sometimes contain unsafe chemicals or choking hazards.
    — Parents, Parents, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of choking
Verb
  • After that, the Lake Nona defense cranked up the heat – pressuring both Cruz James and Joe Aicher and stifling running back Jaelyn Powell for the rest of the game.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
  • On paper, this sounds great, as being untethered from the restraints and stifling confines of physical cords frees you up to live a more fulfilled digital life.
    — William Jones, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of stifling
Verb
  • Across Argentina, young borrowers like 20-year-old law student Martín Taborda are drowning in small loans that ballooned into unpayable debts, forcing them to abandon studies and basic expenses.
    — Débora Rey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • After decades of decline, the rate of drowning deaths among children has risen significantly in recent years, doctors recently warned.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of drowning
Verb
  • Sally’s Reckoning With Her Magic Much of the sequel’s emotional arc, per Hoffman, belongs to Sally finally making peace with the very power she’s spent decades suppressing.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The party is often lauded for steering the tiny nation toward economic prosperity but has also been criticized for suppressing dissent.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of suppressing
Verb
  • Hossain and her collaborators have conjured an internalized hellscape marked by sensual photography, gnarly cyst makeup, and suffocating matrimonial rituals involving turmeric and milk — all redolent with upper-class heteronormative rot.
    — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Wintercreeper Also known as fortune’s spindle, wintercreeper can spread quickly in a garden, suffocating native plants.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of suffocating
Verb
  • As Silicon Valley remakes the world yet again, swallowing up our water and spiking our electricity bills, homelessness remains endemic to that region of California.
    — Piper French, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Officials added that people cannot become infected with Naegleria fowleri by swallowing contaminated water; however, the amoeba can enter the body when it is forcefully introduced, such as through the nose into the brain.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of swallowing
Verb
  • The Trojans posted their first shutout since 2024, smothering the Bulldogs with two safeties, four sacks and long stretches without yielding a yard, first down or rhythm.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The scrutiny at the club is like no other, the media attention can be smothering and the level expected from fans is so high.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of smothering

Browse Nearby Words

strangles
strangling
strap
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Cite this Entry

“Strangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangling. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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