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.
were strangling
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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.
J.P.Morgan Asset Management maintains a "neutral" weight on China, preferring a wait-and-see stance for the short term after authorities last week rolled back draconian anti-COVID policies that were strangling the economy.
From Reuters ● Dec. 14, 2022
What really mattered to Mr. Kim were the sanctions, which, after three new rounds in 2017, were strangling his nation’s already pitiful economy.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2019
Vines six- to eight-inches in diameter were strangling the trees and ivy was threatening to take over the visible ground.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 18, 2016
A better argument can be made, I think, that, by battling the restrictive and wasteful work rules that were strangling London newspapers, Murdoch economically liberated the newspapers, saving many more jobs.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 28, 2014
Evan tensed up his fingers as if he were strangling an invisible ghost.
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
