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- DictionarySti·fle/ˈstīf(ə)l/
verb
- 1. make (someone) unable to breathe properly; suffocate: "those in the streets were stifled by the fumes"
- 2. restrain (a reaction) or stop oneself acting on (an emotion): "she stifled a giggle"
to prevent something from happening, being expressed, or continuing: She stifled a cough / yawn / scream / sneeze. I don't know how I managed to stifle my anger. We should be encouraging new ideas, not stifling them. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
To stifle is to cut off, hold back, or smother. You may stifle your cough if you don't want to interrupt a lecture or you may stifle the competition if you fear losing. The verb stifle means “to choke, suffocate, drown.” It can describe a claustrophobic feeling, like getting smothered by kisses from your great aunt.
[transitive] stifle something to prevent something from happening; to prevent a feeling from being expressed synonym suppress. She managed to stifle a yawn. They hope the new rules will not stifle creativity. The government failed to stifle the unrest. She pressed her hand against her mouth to stifle her sobs.
To suppress or repress; hold back; check, stop, inhibit, etc. To stifle a sob, to stifle protests. Webster's New World. Similar definitions. To kill by cutting off the supply of air from; suffocate; smother; choke. Webster's New World. Similar definitions. More Verb Definitions (3) Synonyms: hush. censor. black out. ban. suppress. mute. muffle.
Apr 30, 2024 · The verb is derived from Late Middle English stuflen (“to have difficulty breathing due to heat, stifle; to suffocate by drowning, drown”) [and other forms]; [1] further etymology uncertain, perhaps from stuffen (“to kill by suffocation; to stifle from heat; to extinguish, suppress (body heat, breath, humour, etc.); to deprive a plant of the con...
May 8, 2024 · 1. transitive verb. If someone stifles something you consider to be a good thing, they prevent it from continuing. [disapproval] Regulations on children stifled creativity. Synonyms: suppress, repress, prevent, stop More Synonyms of stifle. 2. transitive verb. If you stifle a yawn or laugh, you prevent yourself from yawning or laughing.
to quell, crush, or end by force: to stifle a revolt; to stifle free expression. to suppress, curb, or withhold: to stifle a yawn. to kill by impeding respiration; smother .
