Adjacent Words

Stifle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STIFLE, v.t. [L., stiff and stop. Gr.]
1. To suffocate; to stop the breath or action of the lungs by crowding something into the windpipe, or by infusing a substance into the lungs, or by other means; to choke; as, to stifle one with smoke or dust.
2. To stop; as, to stifle the breath; to stifle respiration.
3. To oppress; to stop the breath temporarily; as, to stifle one with kisses; to be stifled in a close room or with bad air.
4. To extinguish; to deaden; to quench; as, to stifle flame; to stifle a fire by smoke or by ashes.
5. To suppress; to hinder from transpiring or spreading; as, to stifle a report.
6. To extinguish; to check or restrain and destroy; to suppress; as, to stifle a civil war in its birth.
7. To suppress or repress; to conceal; to withhold from escaping or manifestation; as, to stifle passion; to stifle grief; to stifle resentment.
8. To suppress; to destroy; as, to stifle convictions.
STIFLE, n.
1. The joint of a horse next to the buttock, and corresponding to the knee in man; called also the stifle joint.
2. A disease in the knee-pan of a horse or other animal.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: joint between the femur and tibia in a quadruped; corresponds to the human knee [syn: stifle, knee] v
1: conceal or hide; "smother a yawn"; "muffle one's anger"; "strangle a yawn" [syn: smother, stifle, strangle, muffle, repress]
2: smother or suppress; "Stifle your curiosity" [syn: stifle, dampen] [ant: excite, stimulate]
3: impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of; "The foul air was slowly suffocating the children" [syn: suffocate, stifle, asphyxiate, choke]
4: be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child suffocated under the pillow" [syn: suffocate, stifle, asphyxiate]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English Date: 14th century the joint next above the hock in the hind leg of a quadruped (as a horse or dog) corresponding to the human knee — see horse illustration II. verb (stifled; stifling) Etymology: alteration of Middle English stuflen Date: 1513 transitive verb 1. a. to kill by depriving of oxygen ; suffocate b. (1) smother (2) muffle 2. a. to cut off (as the voice or breath) b. to withhold from circulation or expression ; repress <stifled our anger> c. deter, discourage intransitive verb to become suffocated by or as if by lack of oxygen ; smother <stifling in the heat> • stifler noun • stiflingly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. 1 tr. smother, suppress (stifled a yawn). 2 intr. & tr. experience or cause to experience constraint of breathing (stifling heat). 3 tr. kill by suffocating. Derivatives: stifler n. stiflingly adv. Etymology: perh. alt. of ME stuffe, stuffle f. OF estouffer 2. n. (in full stifle-joint) a joint in the legs of horses, dogs, etc., equivalent to the knee in humans. Phrases and idioms: stifle-bone the bone in front of this joint. Etymology: ME: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stifle Sti"fle, v. i. To die by reason of obstruction of the breath, or because some noxious substance prevents respiration. You shall stifle in your own report. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stifle Sti"fle, n. [From Stiff.] (Far.) The joint next above the hock, and near the flank, in the hind leg of the horse and allied animals; the joint corresponding to the knee in man; -- called also stifle joint. See Illust. under Horse. Stifle bone, a small bone at the stifle joint; the patella, or kneepan.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stifle Sti"fle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stifled; p. pr. & vb. n. Stifling.] [Freq. of OE. stif stiff; cf. Icel. st[=i]fla to dam up.] 1. To stop the breath of by crowding something into the windpipe, or introducing an irrespirable substance into the lungs; to choke; to suffocate; to cause the death of by such means; as, to stifle one with smoke or dust. Stifled with kisses, a sweet death he dies. --Dryden. I took my leave, being half stifled with the closeness of the room. --Swift. 2. To stop; to extinguish; to deaden; to quench; as, to stifle the breath; to stifle a fire or flame. Bodies . . . stifle in themselves the rays which they do not reflect or transmit. --Sir I. Newton. 3. To suppress the manifestation or report of; to smother; to conceal from public knowledge; as, to stifle a story; to stifle passion. I desire only to have things fairly represented as they really are; no evidence smothered or stifled. --Waterland.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(stifles, stifling, stifled) 1. If someone stifles something you consider to be a good thing, they prevent it from continuing. Critics have accused the US of trying to stifle debate. = repress VERB: V n [disapproval] 2. If you stifle a yawn or laugh, you prevent yourself from yawning or laughing. She makes no attempt to stifle a yawn... = suppress VERB: V n 3. 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... = suppress VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Smother, choke, suffocate. 2. Suppress, repress, check, deaden, stop, destroy, extinguish, quench. 3. Still, hush, silence, muffle, muzzle, gag, conceal, smother.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, allay, alleviate, asphyxiate, assuage, attemper, bake, bank the fire, bar, barricade, be in heat, black out, blaze, block, block up, blockade, bloom, blow out, blunt, boil, bolt, bottle up, broil, burke, burn, censor, chasten, check, chock, choke, choke off, clamp down on, close, close off, close tight, close up, combust, constipate, constrain, constrict, control, cook, cork, cork up, cover up, crack down on, crowd, crush, curb, damp, damp down, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, debar, demolish, destroy, diminish, dog, douse, downplay, drown, dull, dumbfound, extenuate, extinguish, flame, flame up, flare, flare up, flicker, flush, fry, gag, garrote, gasp, glow, hold back, hold down, hold in, hugger-mugger, hush, hush up, hush-hush, incandesce, inhibit, jam, jump on, keep back, keep down, keep under, keep within bounds, kill, lay, lenify, lessen, lighten, lock, mitigate, moderate, modulate, muffle, mute, muzzle, obstruct, obtund, occlude, out, pack, palliate, pant, parch, play down, pour water on, prevent, put down, put out, put to silence, quash, quell, quench, quiet, quieten, radiate heat, reduce, reduce the temperature, repress, restrain, roast, scald, scorch, seethe, shimmer with heat, shush, shut down on, shut off, shut out, shut tight, silence, simmer, sit down on, sit on, slack, slacken, slow down, smash, smolder, smother, snuff, snuff out, sober, sober down, soft-pedal, soften, spark, squash, squeeze, squeeze shut, squelch, stagnate, stamp out, stanch, steam, stew, still, stop, stop the breath, stop up, strangle, strangulate, strike dumb, stultify, subdue, sublimate, suffocate, suppress, sweat, swelter, tame, temper, throttle, toast, tone down, trammel, trample out, trample underfoot, tune down, underplay, weaken, withhold