stifle
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
stifles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stifled,
past participle, past
-
stifling
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
stifles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stifled,
past participle, past
-
stifling
present participle
-
to suffer from difficulty in breathing, as in a close atmosphere.
-
to become stifled or suffocated.
noun
verb
-
(tr) to smother or suppress
stifle a cough
-
to feel or cause to feel discomfort and difficulty in breathing
-
to prevent or be prevented from breathing so as to cause death
-
(tr) to crush or stamp out
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
stiflesimple
-
stiflessimple
-
have stifledperfect
-
has stifledperfect
-
am stiflingprogressive
-
are stiflingprogressive
-
is stiflingprogressive
-
have been stiflingperfect progressive
-
has been stiflingperfect progressive
Past
-
stifledsimple
-
had stifledperfect
-
was stiflingprogressive
-
were stiflingprogressive
-
had been stiflingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stifle1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Old Norse stīfla “to stop up, dam,” akin to stīfr “stiff”
Origin of stifle2
1275–1325; Middle English < ?
Explanation
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. At its most extreme, stifle means to kill by cutting off respiration. The metaphoric sense of stifle didn’t develop until well after the word was first recorded as a verb: "I can always tell — but never let on for fear of damaging his ego — that my boyfriend attempts to stifle tears during sappy parts of movies; his eyes well up at the corners and he’ll sniffle uncontrollably, claiming allergies."
Vocabulary lists containing stifle
The Diary of Anne Frank
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Tell-Tale Heart," Vocabulary from the short story
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The growing popularity of this countertrend trading strategy has likely helped stifle the index’s directional momentum, according to the UBS team.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Trying to stifle anger over this may be the single most common topic in Christian marital advice content.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
While the climate disturbance promotes cyclones in the Pacific, it can stifle them in the North Atlantic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
"You don't want to stifle innovation," Thune said on Monday, "but I think you also want to make sure that the more advanced threats can be mitigated."
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
It’s because of this heart that we have to tiptoe, walk quiedy, stifle our laughter, do what Grace says.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
A powerful military gives the country global influence but stifles its economic and political modernization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
And earlier this year, a jury found that Live Nation was an illegal monopoly, following years of criticism that the company stifles competition and overcharges fans, but analysts say a breakup is unlikely.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Today, Zabtia said, it is no longer censorship that stifles filmmaking in Libya, but an array of other challenges compounded by a lack of public support.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
“The lack of competition stifles innovation and prevents smaller restaurants from negotiating better rates or leveraging alternative payment systems.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
One of the Burgess sisters stifles a giggle.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Since its inception with a handful of reporters, Mada has been buffeted by but survived the crackdown that has stifled nearly all local press.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
They stifled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, restricting Walker to 36 yards from 14 carries as KC tied for their fewest points in a game with Mahomes as their starting quarterback.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
While Odebunmi was producing for Cleveland, the Cavaliers largely stifled Birmingham’s top offensive threat, wide receiver Paul Turner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
It is the inverse of China’s “Great Firewall,” a sprawling regulatory and technological system that has stifled foreign competition and restricted the Chinese public’s access to information for more than two decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The bliss of their reunion almost stifled him.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Detroit will get its yards and points — even against Brian Flores’ stifling defense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Scientists are as prone as anyone else to groupthink, and stifling dissent often produces disaster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
A good car balance should put Verstappen in a good place for a race that will be dominated by tyre degradation in the stifling heat, whether the threatened rain holds off or not.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Those hardships are visible after sunset, when electricity fails, disappearing entire neighborhoods into stifling darkness.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Together they climbed the ladder into the dim, stifling tower room.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
