stifle
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to suffer from difficulty in breathing, as in a close atmosphere.
-
to become stifled or suffocated.
noun
verb
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(tr) to smother or suppress
stifle a cough
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to feel or cause to feel discomfort and difficulty in breathing
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to prevent or be prevented from breathing so as to cause death
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(tr) to crush or stamp out
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stiflesimple
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stiflessimple
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have stifledperfect
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has stifledperfect
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am stiflingprogressive
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are stiflingprogressive
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is stiflingprogressive
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have been stiflingperfect progressive
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has been stiflingperfect progressive
Past
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stifledsimple
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had stifledperfect
-
was stiflingprogressive
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were stiflingprogressive
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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
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"The Tell-Tale Heart," Vocabulary from the short story
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List 5
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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.
Speaking at the Remaking the State conference in London on Wednesday, Jones said Burnham had "rightly set out" how "overcentralisation of power and bureaucracy in Westminster can stifle growth, decision-making and opportunity".
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
Under the Digital Markets Act, the companies would be treated as gatekeepers for their cloud services and required to steps to ensure they don’t stifle competition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim have both slashed planned investments in the country following the announcement, warning that the changes would stifle medical innovation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Clarke is likely to drop a striker and bring in an extra midfielder to cope with Morocco's energy and class, to stifle while also retaining the capacity to strike out on their own.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
But when the Augur named Cain announces the coronation, I stifle a gasp.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Definitions 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.
