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.
To help overcome the not-insignificant expense of buying a strangle, we chose a short expiration that reduces the amount of time premium embedded in the options.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
Stagflation doesn’t have to strangle your stock portfolio.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
The immediate reason for the latest round of protests in Iran was a series of currency devaluations, a sign of Iran’s deepening economic crisis as oil prices decline and Western sanctions strangle business activity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 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
His jealousy was visceral; it clutched at his throat and tried to strangle him.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
