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View synonyms for stifle

stifle

1

[ stahy-fuhl ]

verb (used with object)

, sti·fled, sti·fling.
  1. to quell, crush, or end by force: to stifle free expression.

    to stifle a revolt;

    to stifle free expression.

    Synonyms: preclude, prevent, put down

    Antonyms: encourage

  2. to suppress, curb, or withhold:

    to stifle a yawn.

    Synonyms: check

    Antonyms: encourage

  3. to kill by impeding respiration; smother.

    Synonyms: choke, strangle, suffocate



verb (used without object)

, sti·fled, sti·fling.
  1. to suffer from difficulty in breathing, as in a close atmosphere.
  2. to become stifled or suffocated.

stifle

2

[ stahy-fuhl ]

noun

  1. (in a horse or other quadruped) the joint between the femur and the tibia, corresponding anatomically to the human knee.

stifle

1

/ ˈstaɪfəl /

noun

  1. the joint in the hind leg of a horse, dog, etc, between the femur and tibia
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


stifle

2

/ ˈstaɪfəl /

verb

  1. tr to smother or suppress

    stifle a cough

  2. to feel or cause to feel discomfort and difficulty in breathing
  3. to prevent or be prevented from breathing so as to cause death
  4. tr to crush or stamp out
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈstifler, noun
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Other Words From

  • sti·fler noun
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Word History and Origins

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 < ?
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Word History and Origins

Origin of stifle1

C14: of unknown origin

Origin of stifle2

C14: variant of stuflen, probably from Old French estouffer to smother
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Example Sentences

“I regret it, I regret it, I regret it,” she says now of her decision to stifle her voice.

When the Packers drafted Adams, he assumed their nearly 10-year difference in age would stifle their relationship.

We felt that the nation was really stifled in every way by the Senators from Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina.

From Time

It clearly showed that granting any one arbiter, especially the government, the power to determine truth and falsehood holds the potential to stifle the truth in another way.

Edith Bunker kind of did as she was told, stifled herself when she was ordered to do so.

But the House approved a measure last month to stifle that proposed expansion.

Just as goals galore have defined this World Cup in Brazil, so too have the men whose job it is to stifle and stop those goals.

The NY Governor has set off a right-wing firestorm, standing accused of seeking to stifle free speech and political plurality.

Good technology tends to win out over time, despite all the attempts by the old guard to stifle it.

He again turns Medicare into a voucher program, a position he had to stifle in 2012, because Romney did not approve.

It is as difficult at first to stifle the resentment of a wrong done to us as to retain it after many years.

Up the stairway shot a wavering shaft of flame; the smoke that had been rising to the vaulted dome began to sink and stifle.

We need only open our eyes to see the unworthy means employed by sacerdotal policy to stifle the dawning reason of men.

And the carpets do seem to stifle me, though you don't believe it,' declared Sarah.

But you'll not know till Christmas night; so stifle your curiosity.

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