strangle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
strangles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
strangled,
past participle, past
-
strangling
present participle
-
to kill by squeezing the throat in order to compress the windpipe and prevent the intake of air, as with the hands or a tightly drawn cord.
-
to kill by stopping the breath in any manner; choke; stifle; suffocate.
- Synonyms:
- smother
-
to prevent the continuance, growth, rise, or action of; suppress.
Censorship strangles a free press.
verb (used without object)
-
strangles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
strangled,
past participle, past
-
strangling
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to kill by compressing the windpipe; throttle
-
(tr) to prevent or inhibit the growth or development of
to strangle originality
-
(tr) to suppress (an utterance) by or as if by swallowing suddenly
to strangle a cry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
stranglesimple
-
stranglessimple
-
have strangledperfect
-
has strangledperfect
-
am stranglingprogressive
-
are stranglingprogressive
-
is stranglingprogressive
-
have been stranglingperfect progressive
-
has been stranglingperfect progressive
Past
-
strangledsimple
-
had strangledperfect
-
was stranglingprogressive
-
were stranglingprogressive
-
had been stranglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of strangle
1250–1300; Middle English strangelen < Old French estrangler < Latin strangulāre < Greek strangalân, derivative of strangálē halter, akin to strangós twisted
Explanation
To strangle is to cut off someone's breathing by squeezing their throat. If your turtleneck sweater is too tight, you might feel like it's strangling you. To strangle is to squeeze shut, and it can also mean to gasp for air as if your throat were being squeezed. The word strangle comes from the Greek strangalan, "to choke or twist.” In addition to its throat-constricting meaning, strangle has also come to mean "hinder," like when your parents' strict curfew strangles your social life or when you try to strangle a sneeze in a quiet library.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
With the Iran war continuing to strangle Middle East oil supplies, public transit agencies looking to add passengers might expect high gas prices to incentivize people to ride the rails more than ever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
The strangle costs about $13.15, but of course, the actual cost of the trade is multiplied by 100, which each options contract represents.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
Stagflation doesn’t have to strangle your stock portfolio.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 20, 2026
The immediate reason for the latest round of protests in Iran was a series of currency devaluations, a sign of Iran’s deepening economic crisis as oil prices decline and Western sanctions strangle business activity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
“I’ll write the letter,” I say again, certain that my voice is coming out in a strangle.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
All items in the table should be checked just before the earnings are announced, for that would be the time to buy the straddles or strangles if they do satisfy the “count” requirement.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
As the war in Iran strangles the flow of oil around the globe, California’s jet fuel reservoirs are running low.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
This blocking of competition drives up prices for merchants and consumers, harms security and strangles innovation.”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 21, 2023
The searingly honest March 30 news article about the California drought, “In its third year, California’s drought strangles farming,” painted a brutal and accurate portrait of what’s happening to farmers and farm communities.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2022
They’re the ones who survived the arena and slipped the noose of poverty that strangles the rest of us.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
His 110-ball stay for 29 on the final day before being strangled down the leg side was at least encouraging.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
One risk is that the project is strangled by inflexibility in the Navy’s technical bureaucracy that certifies parts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
But they're still strangled by international sanctions linked to terrorism and human rights.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Academy Awards broadcast, which once routinely drew audiences of 40 million, saw its viewership plummet to 10.4 million in the pandemic strangled year of 2021.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
Anya’s mouth dropped open, and Mama sucked in a strangled sob.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
In parts of Africa, Central America, and India, drought is already strangling crop yields and threatening famine.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
For 50 years, Cfius has made classified judgments about strategic assets without strangling private markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
But Xi must be concerned about the very real possibility of a global recession stemming from Iran’s continued strangling of shipping through the Strait.
From Salon ● May 14, 2026
South Africa hosts the first G20 summit on African soil this weekend, with a debt crisis strangling many developing countries, at the top of the pile of issues on the table.
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025
Vines strangling their own kin in the everlasting wrestle for sunlight.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
