stifle

/stˈaɪfəl/ · 2 syllables

Meaning

verb

1. suppress in order to conceal or hide
   “smother a yawn”
2. suppress or constrain so as to lessen in intensity
   “Stifle your curiosity”
3. impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
   “The foul air was slowly suffocating the children”
4. be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen
   “The child suffocated under the pillow”

noun

1. joint between the femur and tibia in a quadruped; corresponds to the human knee

Synonyms for stifle

• smother
• strangle
• muffle
• repress
• dampen
• suffocate
• asphyxiate
• choke
• knee

Antonyms of stifle

• stimulate

Words that rhyme with stifle

• trifle
• rifle
• pfeifle
• reifel
• zweifel