stifle

verb

ˈstī-fəl How to pronounce stifle (audio)
Definition of stiflenext
1
as in to strangle
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air unfortunately, the robbers were stifled when they got trapped in the airless bank vault

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to suppress
to refrain from openly showing or uttering stifled a yawn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to muffle
to deaden the sound of he stifled a cough with his hand

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 stifle The Dolphins’ front seven, led by defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and Jordyn Brooks, must stifle the Kansas City run game. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026 But the cumbersome requirements for taking the drugs, as well as a series of safety concerns, stifled their use. — Allison Deangelis, STAT, 23 Sep. 2026 Perhaps that’s why the book was successfully stifled not only in Fort Worth but across the country, Williams said. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026 The reform plans include a potentially painful overhaul of the creaking pension system, a reduction of Germany’s stifling bureaucracy and cuts to income tax for low- and middle-income families. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
  1. strangle
  2. suppress
  3. muffle
  4. choke
  5. swallow
  6. smother
  7. repress
  8. suffocate
Verb
  • Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is stationed at Futenma Air Station, on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the island's capital city, Naha, early Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old Ohio native belonging to the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel and stealing her wallet and backpack.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • After security forces suppressed peaceful protests with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, plunging large parts of the country into conflict.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • What explains this difficulty in suppressing the Canal Street counterfeiters?
    — Daniel Edward Rosen, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppress
Verb
  • Attempts to muffle creative voices through bullying and strong-arm tactics are fundamentally anti-American and have become all too common in recent years.
    — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
  • After two hours of practice, with the 10-foot-tall fences doing little to muffle the bullhorn orders and corresponding groans, the huddle broke and the personalities sprung to life.
    — Noah White, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of muffle
Verb
  • There is a fear that a company will be forced to dilute shareholders or choke itself with expensive debt to build factories to fulfill orders.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The woman denied the allegations, and Ross hit her in the chest several times, the report says, and choked her, restricting her breathing by twisting the collar of her hoodie.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • But one of the biggest questions about their eventual direction is whether Edey is their center of the future … or whether the injuries that limited him to just 11 games last season will swallow up the behemoth big man’s career.
    — Doug Haller, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The more exaggerated interpretations, with oversized collars that swallow the chin or heavy embellishment, are the ones most at risk of looking dated once the search curve bends.
    — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of swallow
Verb
  • The circumstances are objectively potent — but Udofia smothers them in such a barrage of cutesiness and self-conscious signalling that a wall rises between us and the play.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Noah Kim threw two touchdown passes and the Eastern Michigan defense smothered Lindenwood to help post a 29-3 win on Saturday.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of smother
Verb
  • Jeffrey Jarquín, 35, was taken directly from the deportation flight to Nicaragua’s notorious Modelo prison, where he had been held previously for participating in pro-democracy marches that were violently repressed by President Daniel Ortega.
    — Ismael López, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Gordon is determined to surface elements of self that society seeks to repress.
    — Chanel Miller, Time, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of repress
Verb
  • Janet also acts as a decoy, luring several men inside the chapel; once the doors shut behind them, the women drop a heavy, suffocating tapestry over the group and stab them through the fabric.
    — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Experts back then warned that as trains got faster, passengers would suffocate, or that looking at unnaturally fast-moving scenery could permanently compromise visual processing.
    — Mark P. Mills, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of suffocate

Browse Nearby Words

stiffs
stifle
stifled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inscrutable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All