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
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2
as in to suppress
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
stifled a yawn
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of stifle
Critics say the definition is overly strict and wrongly conflates the two, and will stifle free and open academic inquiry.
—
Tovia Smith, NPR, 22 Jan. 2025
His side were having more of the ball, controlling games and stifling opposition opportunities.
—Beren Cross, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Seton Hall had its best offensive performance in the third with a game-high 10 points, but the Pirates still struggled to score with efficiency around UConn’s stifling defense.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2025
During his first term, Trump’s grip on his voters — backed up by frequent political threats — stifled most opposition within the party.
—Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stifle 
Tovia Smith, NPR, 22 Jan. 2025
His side were having more of the ball, controlling games and stifling opposition opportunities.
—Beren Cross, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Seton Hall had its best offensive performance in the third with a game-high 10 points, but the Pirates still struggled to score with efficiency around UConn’s stifling defense.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2025
During his first term, Trump’s grip on his voters — backed up by frequent political threats — stifled most opposition within the party.
—Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
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Putin is strangling his own nation with inflation approaching Weimar Germany’s collapse.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
TIME,
23 Jan. 2025
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Police say Ceja-Ramirez was found strangled, with her body partially burned.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Demographers have found little, if any, evidence that EWIs harm or suppress the employment or wages of local people.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
26 Jan. 2025
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To keep shooting, Pasha must suppress his rage and only dares to carry out small protests — such as playing the U.S. national anthem sung by Lady Gaga — but those are enough to earn him suspicion.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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At pickup on a recent afternoon, the arched windows overlooking the Hudson muffled a screaming arctic wind.—
Jessica Winter,
The New Yorker,
18 Jan. 2025
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However, while the snow sometimes muffles the thunder, the lightning can more easily be seen.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Authorities said Smith also tried to choke the officer, who used pepper spray to force the inmate to retreat into his cell.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025
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Ange Postecoglou has a habit of choking on bread and butter, but Europe is keeping him sane.—
Phil Hay,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Bills swallowed $31 million in dead salary-cap space to be out of the Diggs business.—
Tim Graham,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
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Some nicotine from pouches will inevitably be ingested into the stomach when people swallow their saliva.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Whereas United smothered City at the Etihad and took the game to them, on Wednesday at Leigh Sports Village — where the atmosphere was flat — the hosts sat off City, an aspect noted by visiting manager Gareth Taylor.—
Charlotte Harpur,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
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So not counting out the Rams, but Philadelphia just has so many ways to beat you, and that Eagles defense is smothering.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Few would lament the end of the country’s current government, especially those who have been repressed by it for 40 years.—
Richard Nephew,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Jan. 2025
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Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is expected to end four years of tight regulatory oversight (if not overreach, by some critics’ assessments), setting free the animal spirits repressed amid post-Peak Streaming pullbacks, strikes and other complications.—
David Bloom,
Forbes,
31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Trump is bound to be less bad for bitcoin than the Democrats and their ‘chokepoints’ and could lead to a flowering of blockchain applications that for years now have been suffocated by the regulators.—
Clem Chambers,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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Despite throttling the press and trying to suffocate the opposition, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party lost its absolute majority in parliament in part because of widespread economic disaffection among voters.—
Isabella M. Weber,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
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