strangle
[ strang-guhl ]
/ ˈstræŋ gəl /
verb (used with object), stran·gled, stran·gling.
to kill by squeezing the throat in order to compress the windpipe and prevent the intake of air, as with the hands or a tightly drawn cord.
to kill by stopping the breath in any manner; choke; stifle; suffocate.
to prevent the continuance, growth, rise, or action of; suppress: Censorship strangles a free press.
verb (used without object), stran·gled, stran·gling.
to be choked, stifled, or suffocated.
Origin of strangle
1250–1300; Middle English
strangelen < Old French
estrangler < Latin
strangulāre < Greek
strangalân, derivative of
strangálē halter, akin to
strangós twisted
OTHER WORDS FROM strangle
stran·gler, noun stran·gling·ly, adverb un·stran·gled, adjectiveWords nearby strangle
Example sentences from the Web for strangle
British Dictionary definitions for strangle
strangle
/ (ˈstræŋɡəl) /
verb
(tr)
to kill by compressing the windpipe; throttle
(tr)
to prevent or inhibit the growth or development of
to strangle originality
(tr)
to suppress (an utterance) by or as if by swallowing suddenly
to strangle a cry
See also
strangles
Word Origin for strangle
C13: via Old French, ultimately from Greek
strangalē a halter
Medical definitions for strangle
strangle
[ străng′gəl ]
v.
To compress the trachea so as to prevent sufficient passage of air; suffocate.