strangle
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
verb
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(tr) to kill by compressing the windpipe; throttle
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(tr) to prevent or inhibit the growth or development of
to strangle originality
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(tr) to suppress (an utterance) by or as if by swallowing suddenly
to strangle a cry
Other Word Forms
- strangler noun
- stranglingly adverb
- unstrangled adjective
Etymology
Origin of strangle
1250–1300; Middle English strangelen < Old French estrangler < Latin strangulāre < Greek strangalân, derivative of strangálē halter, akin to strangós twisted
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.
In either case, the straddles or strangles are selling for prices that are attractive for a five-month time horizon on what has become a pretty volatile stock.
From MarketWatch
Chip said in a strangled voice, without lifting his head.
From Literature
They included Lisa Morris, who told the inquiry she believed her son Ben might have been strangled to death rather than taking his own life.
From BBC
In fact, the straddle or strangle buy here is worth looking at.
From MarketWatch
Rowan heard a strangled gasp from somewhere behind him.
From Literature
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.
