stifle
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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stifles,
present (3rd person singular)
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stifled,
past participle, past
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stifling
present participle
verb (used without object)
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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
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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
-
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
-
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.
See Examples For:
But a lack of actuators and other components could stifle those designs, experts like Cardenas say.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Trying to stifle anger over this may be the single most common topic in Christian marital advice content.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
“We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry. Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows!”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 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
I try to stifle a laugh, which brings another smile from Colin.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
A new hurricane season record is likely to be set this week as a historic and still strengthening El Niño stifles tropical development in the Atlantic.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 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
It is banned in thoroughbred racing and competitors in other disciplines are divided, with some saying it creates unrealistic expectations and stifles advances in breeding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 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
When I finally regain enough sense, I roll the leg back and forth on the ground, which stifles the worst of it.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Ron spasms under his desk, stifled by the small space; a colleague dries a co-worker’s hair with a piece of paper after blowing bubbles in it; Ron does the loudest meal prep you’ll ever hear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Losing two-time winner Vingegaard to a broken collarbone stifled any threat to Pogacar’s winning yellow jersey, but smaller dramas unfolded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
“My Neighbor Totoro” is a gateway into a pastoral ideal that still exists in living memory, reviving parts of our imagination that maturity has stifled into dormancy.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
The third-smallest nation in World Cup history stifled Spain through their 4-5-1 defensive shape.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
But for now, Sophie was stuck in high school, feeling frustrated and stifled.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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
Maybe that can feel stifling for some viewers.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
A queer stifling feeling came over them, as if the air were too thin or too scanty for breathing.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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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.
