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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to suppress
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
stifled a yawn
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stifle
Zoom out: Investors and nonbank entities with financial aspirations have also been feeling stifled by regulators, and are looking forward to taking advantage of a lighter hand in Washington.
—
Felix Salmon, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025
Promoting innovation As today’s AI developers mature and as AI disperses into applications, the historical lesson remains critical: unchecked consolidation of power stifles the innovation necessary for economic growth, national security, and consumer protection.
—Tom Wheeler, TIME, 30 Jan. 2025
What seemed like innovative movement mechanics in 3D is stifled by repetitive, confusing level design with its monotonous mazes.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025
For years, the lack of clear guidelines has stifled innovation, deterred institutional participation, and left market participants vulnerable to inconsistent enforcement.
—Alexandra Andhov, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stifle 
Felix Salmon, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025
Promoting innovation As today’s AI developers mature and as AI disperses into applications, the historical lesson remains critical: unchecked consolidation of power stifles the innovation necessary for economic growth, national security, and consumer protection.
—Tom Wheeler, TIME, 30 Jan. 2025
What seemed like innovative movement mechanics in 3D is stifled by repetitive, confusing level design with its monotonous mazes.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025
For years, the lack of clear guidelines has stifled innovation, deterred institutional participation, and left market participants vulnerable to inconsistent enforcement.
—Alexandra Andhov, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stifle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifle
Verb
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Dobson was strangled with a computer extension cord and smothered with a plastic bag.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
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Lindsay Haugen, 41, pleaded guilty to strangling her 25-year-old boyfriend, Robert Mast, while the two of them sat in a car in a Walmart parking lot in 2015.—
Melissa Chan,
NBC News,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
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We’ve been conditioned to lead like men, to suppress our intuition, our empathy, and our softness.—
Dr. Brittany Chambers,
Forbes,
7 Feb. 2025
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The censors suppressed or bowdlerized countless works of genius.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In the absence of a musical score, Vincent Villa’s crisp sound design either amplifies or muffles her state of mind as circumstances dictate: In a film heavy on quiet, actual moments of serenity are few and far between.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2025
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Mangione had fake IDs, a firearm and a device to muffle gunshots at the time of his arrest, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday.—
Jason Lalljee,
Axios,
10 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Lenin, a 1988 faux Fabergé egg choking on its rhinestones.—
Jackson Arn,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
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Per the incident report, Levin’s family members were right upstairs while he was being beaten and choked in the basement.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
People.com,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In 1938, Hitler, having swallowed Austria, now demanded land from Czechoslovakia, the only democracy in Central Europe or Eastern Europe.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2025
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In 1997, Smith was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a malady that makes basic movements — walking, talking, swallowing, smiling — difficult to impossible.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Dobson was strangled with a computer extension cord and smothered with a plastic bag.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Hot dogs are wrapped in bacon and browned, then smothered with a mixture of peppers and onions.—
SAVEUR Editors,
Saveur,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Trump ran an openly authoritarian campaign in 2024, pledging to prosecute his rivals, punish critical media, and deploy the army to repress protest.—
STEVEN LEVITSKY,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Feb. 2025
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China grandstands about Gaza while repressing a Muslim community within its own borders.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Little is understood about nitrogen hypoxia, where an inmate is made to suffocate on nitrogen gas delivered through a face mask, and Alabama was the only U.S. state prior to this week that had released a protocol for this type of execution.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2025
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At its heart are Rose (Kate Winslet), a fiercely independent woman suffocated by societal expectations, and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), a free-spirited artist who teaches her to chase freedom and joy.—
Janey Tracey,
EW.com,
7 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Stifle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifle. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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