stifle
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sti·fle 1
(stī′fəl)tr.v. sti·fled, sti·fling, sti·fles
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.]
sti′fler n.
sti·fle 2
(stī′fəl)n.
The joint of the hind leg analogous to the human knee in certain quadrupeds, such as the horse.
[Middle English, possibly from Old French estivel, pipe, leg, tibia, from Latin stīpes, stick.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
stifle
(ˈstaɪfəl)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]
ˈstifler n
stifle
(ˈstaɪfəl)n
(Zoology) the joint in the hind leg of a horse, dog, etc, between the femur and tibia
[C14: of unknown origin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sti•fle1
(ˈstaɪ fəl)v. -fled, -fling. v.t.
1. to quell, crush, or end by force.
2. to suppress, curb, or withhold: to stifle a yawn.
3. to kill by impeding respiration; smother.
v.i. 4. to suffer from difficulty in breathing, as in a close atmosphere.
5. to become stifled or suffocated.
[1350–1400; < Old Norse stīfla, akin to stīfr stiff]
sti′fler, n.
sti•fle2
(ˈstaɪ fəl)n.
(in a horse or other quadruped) the joint between the femur and the tibia, corresponding to the human knee. Also called sti′fle joint`..
[1275–1325; Middle English, of uncertain orig.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
stifle
Past participle: stifled
Gerund: stifling
| Imperative |
|---|
| stifle |
| stifle |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  stifle - joint between the femur and tibia in a quadruped; corresponds to the human kneehind leg - the back limb of a quadruped articulatio, joint, articulation - (anatomy) the point of connection between two bones or elements of a skeleton (especially if it allows motion) |
| Verb | 1. | stifle - conceal or hide; "smother a yawn"; "muffle one's anger"; "strangle a yawn" |
| 2. | stifle - smother or suppress; "Stifle your curiosity" suffocate, choke - suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of; "His job suffocated him" | |
| 3. |  stifle - impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of; "The foul air was slowly suffocating the children" | |
| 4. |  stifle - be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child suffocated under the pillow"croak, decease, die, drop dead, buy the farm, cash in one's chips, give-up the ghost, kick the bucket, pass away, perish, snuff it, pop off, expire, conk, exit, choke, go, pass - pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life; "She died from cancer"; "The children perished in the fire"; "The patient went peacefully"; "The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of 102" strangle - die from strangulation asphyxiate, suffocate, smother - deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing; "Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow"; "The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
stifle
verb
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
stifle
verb1. To hold (something requiring an outlet) in check:
burke, choke (back), gag, hold back, hold down, hush (up), muffle, quench, repress, smother, squelch, strangle, suppress, throttle.
Informal: sit on (or upon).
3. To keep from being published or transmitted:
Idiom: keep a lid on.
4. To stop the breathing of:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُخْمِد الناريَخْنُق، يُخْمِديَكْبِت
dusitpotlačitudusit
kvæleundertrykke
bæla, halda aftur afkæfa, slökkvakæfa; kafna
apspiestnodzēstnoslāpētnosmacētnosmakt
udusiť
stifle
[ˈstaɪfl]A. VT
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
stifle
[ˈstaɪfəl] vt (= suppress) [+ yawn, laugh] → étouffer
(= repress) [+ creativity, debate] → étouffer
(= suffocate) → étouffer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
stifle
vt (= suffocate) → ersticken; (fig) laugh, cough also, rage, opposition → unterdrücken; the heat nearly stifled them → sie sind fast umgekommen vor Hitze
vi → ersticken
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
stifle
(ˈstaifl) verb1. to prevent, or be prevented, from breathing (easily) eg because of bad air, an obstruction over the mouth and nose etc; to suffocate. He was stifled to death when smoke filled his bedroom; I'm stifling in this heat!
2. to extinguish or put out (flames).
3. to suppress (a yawn, a laugh etc).
ˈstifling adjective very hot, stuffy etc. stifling heat; It's stifling in here.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.