strangle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
strangles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
strangled,
past participle, past
-
strangling
present participle
-
to kill by squeezing the throat in order to compress the windpipe and prevent the intake of air, as with the hands or a tightly drawn cord.
-
to kill by stopping the breath in any manner; choke; stifle; suffocate.
- Synonyms:
- smother
-
to prevent the continuance, growth, rise, or action of; suppress.
Censorship strangles a free press.
verb (used without object)
-
strangles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
strangled,
past participle, past
-
strangling
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to kill by compressing the windpipe; throttle
-
(tr) to prevent or inhibit the growth or development of
to strangle originality
-
(tr) to suppress (an utterance) by or as if by swallowing suddenly
to strangle a cry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stranglesimple
-
stranglessimple
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have strangledperfect
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has strangledperfect
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am stranglingprogressive
-
are stranglingprogressive
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is stranglingprogressive
-
have been stranglingperfect progressive
-
has been stranglingperfect progressive
Past
-
strangledsimple
-
had strangledperfect
-
was stranglingprogressive
-
were stranglingprogressive
-
had been stranglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of strangle
1250–1300; Middle English strangelen < Old French estrangler < Latin strangulāre < Greek strangalân, derivative of strangálē halter, akin to strangós twisted
Explanation
To strangle is to cut off someone's breathing by squeezing their throat. If your turtleneck sweater is too tight, you might feel like it's strangling you. To strangle is to squeeze shut, and it can also mean to gasp for air as if your throat were being squeezed. The word strangle comes from the Greek strangalan, "to choke or twist.” In addition to its throat-constricting meaning, strangle has also come to mean "hinder," like when your parents' strict curfew strangles your social life or when you try to strangle a sneeze in a quiet library.
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:
Company executives and U.S. officials said that strict rules could strangle an industry capable of supercharging global growth and curing diseases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The strangle costs about $13.15, but of course, the actual cost of the trade is multiplied by 100, which each options contract represents.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
Stagflation doesn’t have to strangle your stock portfolio.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 20, 2026
The new models come just after the expiration of a $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles, which is expected to strangle growth at EV makers this month and going forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
“I’ll write the letter,” I say again, certain that my voice is coming out in a strangle.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
But one can buy out-of-the-money strangles — equidistant put and call strikes from the at-the-money strike — for less.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
He said that this would require regulation which fosters AI development "rather than strangles it".
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2025
This blocking of competition drives up prices for merchants and consumers, harms security and strangles innovation.”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 21, 2023
But the authors of this plan had decided to take a stand against the sort of real estate speculation that strangles supply and drives up housing prices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2023
I no longer have to tie the faja so tightly it strangles my rib cage for fear of my anacos falling down.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
Sir James said: "Londoners need homes they can afford to buy or rent. Entrepreneurs need to be able to start and grow businesses without being strangled by cost and regulation."
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The U.S. submarine campaign against Japan showed that a country can be strangled by attacking its logistics and supply lines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The Academy Awards broadcast, which once routinely drew audiences of 40 million, saw its viewership plummet to 10.4 million in the pandemic strangled year of 2021.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
The conflict with Iran has strangled movement through the Persian Gulf and catapulted the price of a barrel of oil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
The bird makes a painful, strangled sound much different than its normal coo.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
In parts of Africa, Central America, and India, drought is already strangling crop yields and threatening famine.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
Lula's new plan aims to focus on financially strangling criminal factions, disrupting money laundering and cracking down on illicit markets that supply these groups, such as arms trafficking.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
And for some, such as the Strait of Hormuz, no maritime detours exist, effectively strangling supply.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
I imitate Aykroyd strangling himself with a phone cord and choking on a foam ball to this very day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2024
Suffice it to say we got to Mars 124 days later without strangling each other.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
