stifle
Use Stifle in a sentence
fəl verb (used with object)
1.
to quell, crush, or end by force: to stifle a revolt; to stifle free expression.
2.
to suppress, curb, or withhold: to stifle a yawn.
3.
to kill by impeding respiration; smother.
verb (used without object)
4.
to suffer from difficulty in breathing, as in a close atmosphere.
5.
to become stifled or suffocated.
00:10
Stifle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is kibitz. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| chat, to converse |
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Old Norse stīfla to stop up, dam, akin to stīfr stiff
1350–1400; Middle English < Old Norse stīfla to stop up, dam, akin to stīfr stiff
Related forms
sti·fler, noun
un·sti·fled, adjective
Synonyms
1. prevent, preclude, put down. 2. check. 3. suffocate, strangle, choke.
1. prevent, preclude, put down. 2. check. 3. suffocate, strangle, choke.
Antonyms
1, 2. encourage.
1, 2. encourage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To stifle
Collins
World English Dictionary
stifle1 (ˈstaɪfəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (tr) to smother or suppress: stifle a cough |
| 2. | to feel or cause to feel discomfort and difficulty in breathing |
| 3. | to prevent or be prevented from breathing so as to cause death |
| 4. | (tr) to crush or stamp out |
| [C14: variant of stuflen, probably from Old French estouffer to smother] | |
| 'stifler1 | |
| —n | |
| stifle2 (ˈstaɪfəl) | |
| —n | |
| the joint in the hind leg of a horse, dog, etc, between the femur and tibia | |
| [C14: of unknown origin] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
stifle
late 14c., "to choke, suffocate, drown," of uncertain origin, possibly an alteration of O.Fr. estouffer "to stifle, smother," which may be from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. stopfon "to plug up, stuff"). Metaphoric sense is from 1570s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
What makes it worse is that taxpayer dollars are being used to stifle your rights.
And this one they could stifle in the cradle, if they chose.
Disciplines are seen as disconnected silos that stifle innovation and restrict inquiry.
The story turns on whether broader changes in bookselling will stifle literature.
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