stifle
1[ stahy-fuhl ]
/ ˈstaɪ fəl /
verb (used with object), sti·fled, sti·fling.
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.
verb (used without object), sti·fled, sti·fling.
to suffer from difficulty in breathing, as in a close atmosphere.
to become stifled or suffocated.
RELATED WORDS
muzzle, suppress, smother, repress, suffocate, curb, squelch, strangle, silence, asphyxiate, stultify, muffle, stagnate, stop, choke, cork, hush, trammel, kill, squash
Nearby words
- stiffen,
- stiffener,
- stiffly,
- stiffnecked,
- stiffy,
- stifling,
- stiflingly,
- stigma,
- stigmasterol,
- stigmata
Origin of stifle
11350–1400; Middle English < Old Norse stīfla to stop up, dam, akin to stīfr stiff
SYNONYMS FOR stifle
stifle
2[ stahy-fuh l ]
/ ˈstaɪ fəl /
noun
(in a horse or other quadruped) the joint between the femur and the tibia, corresponding anatomically to the human knee.
Origin of stifle
21275–1325; Middle English < ?
Also called stifle joint.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for stifle
stifle
1/ (ˈstaɪfəl) /
verb
(tr) to smother or suppressstifle 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
Word Origin for stifle
C14: variant of stuflen, probably from Old French estouffer to smother
noun
the joint in the hind leg of a horse, dog, etc, between the femur and tibia
Word Origin for stifle
C14: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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stifle
late 14c., "to choke, suffocate, drown," of uncertain origin, possibly an alteration of Old French estouffer "to stifle, smother," which may be from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German stopfon "to plug up, stuff"). Metaphoric sense is from 1570s. Related: Stifled; stifling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper