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
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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
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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:
The practice “may distort competition, stifle innovation, and potentially lead to monopolies or market concentration in strategic sectors,” as the Center for Strategic and International Studies put it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
It was when Sanders waved his hand to stifle the reaction to Stevens’ name that I knew where I was—or rather, when.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
"Denying American startups access to models available abroad would stifle competition, entrench incumbents, and function as a tax on intelligence," the letter from the Little Tech Association said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Sacks has warned on many occasions, according to Curi, against “regulatory capture” that would stifle competition and benefit the biggest labs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Oscar, I overheard some of that fight this morning. As soon as I realized you guys were arguing, I left, but—” I stifle the confession because I’m thinking his organs may have caught fire.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
A powerful military gives the country global influence but stifles its economic and political modernization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The high pressure also stifles the sea breeze that can bring cooler ocean air onto land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 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 Beauty Minister stifles a laugh, then looks up from her teacup.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
While households’ debt-service burden has increased since pandemic lockdowns stifled spending, it remains lighter than at any point before the pandemic dating back to the 1980s.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Her mother gave a stifled scream at the words.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Sleeping out in the stifling summer heat leaves her exhausted, but what distresses her more is not knowing when or how this situation will end.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Suddenly, articulating what I saw—the creative writing projects I hoped to tackle, my pride at seeing my child launch into adulthood—I found myself stifling a sob.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Those included the stifling humidity and soaring temperatures in Miami for their quarter-final against Norway.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
An indoors club setting can feel stifling, but outdoors is where Tsoi feels free.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The shed is stifling suddenly, hot and close, and I’m across the floor and out the door.
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.
