How to Use stifle in a Sentence

stifle

verb
  • He was almost stifled by the smoke.
  • Students at the school are stifled by the pressure to score high on tests.
  • I wish we could go outside instead of stifling in this tiny room.
  • I had to stifle the desire to yell “Stop!”.
  • Too many regulations stifle innovation.
  • There are so many etiquette rules stifling the truth.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 23 June 2026
  • Who you've been taught to be may stifle your current true self.
    — Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2023
  • She feels stifled when she can’t be trusted to do things on her own.
    — Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
  • The air was clammy and stifling.
    — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Crews in the air and on the ground were routed to that area to stifle the growth.
    — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2025
  • But George feels stifled and beaten down.
    — Nora Gilbert, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025
  • Between hugs and stifled tears, players walked up to sift through them.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • It’s stifled some of the league’s best offenses.
    — James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
  • All the commotion around them was stifling.
    — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Maye was stifled when the pocket collapsed.
    — Prince J. Grimes, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
  • The first debut seasons are often rushed and nerves can stifle the best of them.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
  • If the temperature in your home is stifling, stay low to the ground.
    — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2023
  • If the temperature in your home is stifling, stay low to the ground.
    — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 18 May 2026
  • But doing the same rituals day in and day out can start to feel stale, even stifling.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 27 Mar. 2026
  • When we young guys came in for the afternoon shift, the clubhouse would be stifling.
    — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 4 Dec. 2023
  • Wilson felt stifled and forced a trade to Denver.
    — Mike Sando, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • His mother’s hands rose to cover much of her face, either to stifle tears or to hide them.
    — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 3 Nov. 2023
  • What is clear, however, is how these rules stifle the market.
    — Mark Deeks, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2022
  • But Army-Navy’s defense proved too stifling.
    — Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
  • The new limits stifle most players.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 14 May 2026
  • His parents began to stifle sobs.
    — Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
  • It should be praised and encouraged, not second-guessed or stifled.
    — Will Dunham, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025
  • Their defense had kept them in the game, stifling the Sailors ground game and forcing stops.
    — David Delgado, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
  • That could have stifled the Dodgers’ offensive night.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The war has stifled the flow of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stifle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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