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1. Dictionary

   stifle

   /ˈstʌɪfl/

   verb

   • 1. make (someone) unable to breathe properly; suffocate: "those in the streets were stifled by the fumes" Similar suffocatechokeasphyxiatesmother
   • 2. restrain (a reaction) or stop oneself acting on (an emotion): "she stifled a giggle" Similar suppresssmotherrestrainkeep backhold backhold infight backchoke backgulp backwithholdcheckkeep in checkswallowmufflequenchcurbsilencecontainbottle upbite one's lipcork upOpposite let out
   • ▪ prevent or constrain (an activity or idea): "high taxes were stifling private enterprise" Similar constrainhinderhamperimpedehold backcurbcheckrestrainpreventinhibitput an end/stop tostopquashsquashstamp outdestroycrushextinguishdeadendamp downsubduesuppressrepresssilencemufflemutegagOpposite encourage

   Word Origin late Middle English: perhaps from a frequentative of Old French estouffer ‘smother, stifle’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. stifler noun

   Scrabble Points: 9

   • S

     1

   • T

     1

   • I

     1

   • F

     4

   • L

     1

   • E

     1

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   More definitions, origin and scrabble points

2. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishSTIFLE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   to prevent something from happening, being expressed, or continuing: She stifled a cough / yawn / scream / sneeze. I don't know how I managed to stifle my anger. We should be encouraging new ideas, not stifling them. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.

3. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › stifleStifle Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › stifle

   • Cached

   The meaning of STIFLE is to withhold from circulation or expression. How to use stifle in a sentence.

4. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishSTIFLE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   If you stifle your natural feelings or behaviour, you prevent yourself from having those feelings or behaving in that way. It is best to stifle curiosity and leave birds' nests alone. [ VERB noun ]

5. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionarySTIFLE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   to prevent something from happening, being expressed, or continuing: She stifled a cough / yawn / scream / sneeze. I don't know how I managed to stifle my anger. We should be encouraging new ideas, not stifling them. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.

6. www.dictionary.com › browse › stifleSTIFLE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › stifle

   • Cached

   Stifle definition: to quell, crush, or end by force. See examples of STIFLE used in a sentence.

7. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › stifleStifle - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › stifle

   To stifle is to cut off, hold back, or smother. You may stifle your cough if you don't want to interrupt a lecture or you may stifle the competition if you fear losing. The verb stifle means “to choke, suffocate, drown.”

8. www.thefreedictionary.com › stifleStifle - definition of stifle by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › stifle

   • Cached

   1. To interrupt or cut off (the voice, for example). 2. To keep in or hold back; repress: stifled my indignation. 3. To kill by preventing respiration; smother or suffocate. [Middle English stifilen, alteration (influenced by Old Norse stīfla, to stop up) of stuffen, stuflen, to stifle, choke, drown, from Old French estoufer, of Germanic origin .]