1
as in choking
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
the gull got tangled in a piece of fishing line on the beach and was strangled
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in throttling
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe
the boy complained that he was being strangled by his tie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stifling
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
strangled a gasp of surprise upon hearing the news
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strangling
He had been arrested for allegedly strangling his then-girlfriend, Johnny Faye Cartwright, in 2020.
—
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 4 Jan. 2025
His trouble with the law began in 2020, when he was arrested for allegedly strangling his girlfriend at an Oregon home.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Prosecutors argued Spencer often would strategically give or withhold drugs from his victims, deprive them of sleep and food and threaten them with firearms or extreme physical violence, such as strangling them.
—Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024
The assailant used zip ties to constrain her wrists before strangling her nearly unconscious twice.
—Michael Loftus, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2024
During an interview with detectives, Lambeth admitted to punching, stomping and strangling Howells, court documents stated.
—Lauren De Young, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024
He was found guilty of raping the child and strangling her with chicken wire.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
In a federal lawsuit filed this week, An accuses Kanye West of strangling her and forcing his fingers down her throat on the set of an unreleased 2010 music video shoot.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 25 Nov. 2024
After three months of intermittent solitary confinement, Rusher died after strangling herself in her cell.
—Sarah Metz, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 4 Jan. 2025
His trouble with the law began in 2020, when he was arrested for allegedly strangling his girlfriend at an Oregon home.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Prosecutors argued Spencer often would strategically give or withhold drugs from his victims, deprive them of sleep and food and threaten them with firearms or extreme physical violence, such as strangling them.
—Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024
The assailant used zip ties to constrain her wrists before strangling her nearly unconscious twice.
—Michael Loftus, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2024
During an interview with detectives, Lambeth admitted to punching, stomping and strangling Howells, court documents stated.
—Lauren De Young, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024
He was found guilty of raping the child and strangling her with chicken wire.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
In a federal lawsuit filed this week, An accuses Kanye West of strangling her and forcing his fingers down her throat on the set of an unreleased 2010 music video shoot.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 25 Nov. 2024
After three months of intermittent solitary confinement, Rusher died after strangling herself in her cell.
—Sarah Metz, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangling
Verb
-
Quick thinking by a 9-year-old boy in North Carolina helped save his friend who started choking at recess.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
-
He was inspired to learn after watching a teacher use the method to help another student who was choking.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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However, a lack of autonomy growing up can strongly trigger the need for independence and reinforce negative attitudes about how future relationships may continue to be stifling.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
5 Jan. 2025
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The core of their legal challenge revolves around claims that the charter agreement breaches antitrust laws by stifling competition.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The younger of the two, Bella, is unscathed; her sister had jumped into a pool to rescue her and ended up drowning herself.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner released its official report on Carter's death on April 18, 2023, attributing his cause of death to drowning after inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam, the generic form of brand-name Xanax.—
Johnny Dodd,
People.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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His approach promises a more collaborative regulatory framework, fostering innovation rather than suppressing it.—
Leeor Shimron,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
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Ice protects fish eggs by suppressing winds and waves that can stir up the sediment, reducing the number of fish that hatch in the spring.—
Caitlin Looby,
Journal Sentinel,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Vazquez then allegedly confessed to suffocating Lucia with a bedsheet.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
5 Jan. 2025
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The country has become notorious for its suffocating restrictions on women, which have essentially erased them from public life.—
Elise Blanchard,
New York Times,
29 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Kids older than one year can be given honey to help neutralize the damage, but swallowing a button battery is a life-threatening emergency for which parents should immediately seek medical care.—
Ryan Murphy,
The Indianapolis Star,
24 Dec. 2024
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Similarly, applying a wellness patch is painless in comparison to swallowing a handful of pills.—
Emily Burns,
WWD,
23 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Strangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangling. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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