strangle
verb (used with object)
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.
was strangling
-
past progressiveof strangle.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
It has balanced the budget, improved government aid to the poor by removing political middlemen, and cut a tangle of red tape that was strangling business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
"I immediately started to free her from the net that was strangling her, but even after we got her untied, she was too tired to make her way back to the ocean," the model added.
From Fox News ● Dec. 4, 2021
Their groundbreaking policies led to the reversal of a crime epidemic that was strangling the soul of New York City.
From Washington Post ● May 3, 2018
Mayor Danny Jones of Charleston said the do-not-drink order was strangling businesses.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2014
Oh, absolutely nothing, except that I was strangling on bitterness and gall and was in no mood to talk about it.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
