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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of stifle
As Trump vows to tear up reams of federal regulations, but also continues to accuse Big Tech of stifling competition, industry leaders could have more riding on their relationship with the White House than ever before.
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Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 24 Dec. 2024
The weaponization committee also focused heavily on the FBI and gave a voice to agents who felt the FBI’s punishment for whistleblowers — suspending their security clearances — was stifling and prevented rank-and-file employees from speaking up about internal problems.
—Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 20 Dec. 2024
This shame promotes a culture where the potential for innovation is stifled, and opportunities for meaningful collaboration are missed.
—Jessica A. Stansbury, Baltimore Sun, 29 Dec. 2024
This creates a lack of physical and emotional space in the relationship that can be stifling for their partner.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stifle 
Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 24 Dec. 2024
The weaponization committee also focused heavily on the FBI and gave a voice to agents who felt the FBI’s punishment for whistleblowers — suspending their security clearances — was stifling and prevented rank-and-file employees from speaking up about internal problems.
—Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 20 Dec. 2024
This shame promotes a culture where the potential for innovation is stifled, and opportunities for meaningful collaboration are missed.
—Jessica A. Stansbury, Baltimore Sun, 29 Dec. 2024
This creates a lack of physical and emotional space in the relationship that can be stifling for their partner.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
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Economic Relief: Years of strife in Syria ruined the country’s energy sector, battered its currency and strangled growth.Carlotta Gall, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025
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Syria’s universities, meanwhile, withered as sanctions imposed on the Assad regime strangled the economy.ByRichard Stone, science.org, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Lipton felt the lack of scoring, excitement and substantial press coverage combined to suppress local support.Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
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There must be severe consequences for the concerted effort to suppress the public’s knowledge of Biden’s cognitive deficits.Robert J. Delahunty, National Review, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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His low desk was shoved into the corner furthest from the windows, as if Gussow had wanted to muffle the city’s distractions.Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 27 Dec. 2024
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Get your pet soundproof earmuffs or play soothing sounds on a sound machine to muffle noise.Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press, 25 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Adams was booked for a canny professional foul which choked the visitors’ attempts to get back into the game.Greg O'Keeffe, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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She was later pronounced dead after allegedly being choked.Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Its beauty comes at a hefty $598 price tag a bitter pill for many of us to swallow.Wendy Vazquez, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Dec. 2024
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Accident-only plans cover emergencies like broken bones, bites, swallowed objects and traumatic dental fractures.Liz Knueven, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Their pressing smothered Manchester United and forced them to repeatedly cede possession.Ahmed Walid, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
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This time, returning to its roots as a horrifying nightmarish sci-fi thriller smothered in jaw-clenching moments.Grace Dean, Space.com, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Tim starts out middle class, conservative, repressed in his sexuality, and his habit of drinking milk represents those values, Nyswaner says.Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
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The sanctions, primarily levied by Western countries,aimed to curb the Syrian regime’s ability to fund its military operations and repress dissent, and force it to the negotiating table.Karam Shaar, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Vazquez then allegedly confessed to suffocating Lucia with a bedsheet.Raven Brunner, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025
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No doubt relatively slow economic growth (the biggest economic downturns in the U.S. are boom times anywhere else) suffocates the talents of way too many people.John Tamny, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.
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