to stifle
7
6.6
- verb
- /ˈstaɪfəl/
- NSFW
:
asfixiar
- She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn during the lecture.
Examples
-
The Left should really try hard to stifle their panic and think this through.
Blog text (32) -
The ban on race music, literature, and art stifled American creativity.
-
Rather than killing her outright, he stifles her vitality, as well as that of the entire family.
Academic text (2007) -
The heavy bureaucratic superstructure stifles both individual and collective initiative.
Academic text (1991) -
But in the holy name of socialism, the Indian bureaucracy created thousands of controls and stifled enterprise for 40 years.
Academic text (2006) -
The image of a strong, free-spirited child stifled by a repressive upbringing evokes Rousseau's philosophy of childhood education.
Academic text (2001) -
He tried to stifle his laughter during the serious meeting.
-
The thick smoke began to stifle everyone in the room, making it hard to breathe.
Synonyms
264
3.7
To be unable to breathe because something blocks the throat or neck
209
6.2
To kill or injure someone by squeezing their throat and stopping breathing
81
6.1
To have no air to breathe or to stop someone from getting air
26
6.4
To stop someone breathing by covering their nose and mouth
13
9.3
To prevent a person or animal from breathing by taking away air
To kill someone by squeezing their throat so they cannot breathe
To put a tight grip on someone's throat so the person cannot breathe
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
How Choked
- Specialized
13
9.3
- NSFW
81
6.1
- NSFW
7
6.6
- NSFW
264
3.7
Surface Forms
Etymology
Stifle (verb) comes from an old idea of making the chest or air 'tight', like being unable to move or breathe, so it means to 'suffocate' or stop normal breathing.