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- Dictionarystifle/ˈstʌɪfl/
verb
- 1. make (someone) unable to breathe properly; suffocate: "those in the streets were stifled by the fumes" Similar
- 2. restrain (a reaction) or stop oneself acting on (an emotion): "she stifled a giggle" Similar Opposite
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STIFLE definition: 1. to (cause to) be unable to breathe because you have no air: 2. to prevent something from…. Learn more.
: to withhold from circulation or expression. stifled our anger. b. : to cut off (the voice, the breath, etc.) c. : deter, discourage. 2. a (1) : muffle. (2) : smother. b. : to kill by depriving of oxygen : suffocate. intransitive verb. : to be or become unable to breathe easily. stifling in the heat. stifler. ˈstī-f (ə-)lər. noun. stiflingly.
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.
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 ]
STIFLE meaning: 1. to (cause to) be unable to breathe because you have no air: 2. to prevent something from…. Learn more.
Stifle definition: to quell, crush, or end by force. See examples of STIFLE used in a sentence.
Definition of stifle verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
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 .]
To interrupt or cut off (the voice, for example). American Heritage. To die from lack of air. Webster's New World. Similar definitions. To suffer from lack of fresh, cool air. Webster's New World. To suppress or repress; hold back; check, stop, inhibit, etc. To stifle a sob, to stifle protests.
1. If someone stifles something you consider to be a good thing, they prevent it from continuing. [disapproval] [...] 2. If you stifle a yawn or laugh, you prevent yourself from yawning or laughing. [...] 3. If you stifle your natural feelings or behavior, you prevent yourself from having those feelings or behaving in that way. [...] More.
