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
Luis Benitez-Gonzalez, a 26-year-old previously deported Mexican national, is accused of strangling two women in the area of Austin, Texas, in 2018 and 2024.
—
Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Gaff allegedly assaulted and raped Vesey before fatally strangling her.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Or there’s the case of the Florida woman accused of strangling and robbing her own friend for money to buy drugs.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
Lee is accused of strangling Christa.
—Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Horner told a false story about hitting the little girl with his van and then strangling her in a panic, according to testimony of the case’s lead investigator, Texas Ranger Job Espinoza.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026
He’s accused of strangling Anna Kepner while the two of them shared a room on the Carnival Horizon.
—David Goodhue
april 29, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that the blockade was strangling Iran’s economy.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
He had been arrested for allegedly strangling his then-girlfriend, Johnny Faye Cartwright, in 2020.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 4 Jan. 2025
Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Gaff allegedly assaulted and raped Vesey before fatally strangling her.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Or there’s the case of the Florida woman accused of strangling and robbing her own friend for money to buy drugs.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
Lee is accused of strangling Christa.
—Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Horner told a false story about hitting the little girl with his van and then strangling her in a panic, according to testimony of the case’s lead investigator, Texas Ranger Job Espinoza.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026
He’s accused of strangling Anna Kepner while the two of them shared a room on the Carnival Horizon.
—David Goodhue
april 29, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that the blockade was strangling Iran’s economy.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
He had been arrested for allegedly strangling his then-girlfriend, Johnny Faye Cartwright, in 2020.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 4 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangling
Verb
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The vast majority of people in Pompeii and Herculaneum—the cities hardest hit—perished from asphyxiation, choking on the thick clouds of noxious gas and ash.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
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The agency is aware of 11 choking incidents, the notice states.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The open-source software movement, partly a political project to protect the freedom to tinker and prevent corporate oligarchies from stifling innovation, would become a cornerstone of the technology industry.—
Jonathan Weber,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
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If the temperature in your home is stifling, stay low to the ground.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The folks at the YMCA of Metro Denver believe that drowning deaths are completely preventable.—
Libby Smith,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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An autopsy later determined that Perry died from acute effects of ketamine, as well as other contributing factors such as drowning, coronary artery disease and effects from buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Their basic antitrust allegation was that NCAA member schools fixed prices by limiting the number of slots for coach employees, thus suppressing opportunities and wages.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
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Renovations of the House chamber will force members to meet at the Old State Capitol, where, decades ago, Mississippi lawmakers passed Jim Crow laws suppressing Black voting.—
Jack Brook,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Verb
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But his chairmanship’s suffocating high interest rates created a palatable cure.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
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The cleavage is overwhelming for her, the waist is completely suffocating, and the corset and the dress is heavy.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Second, foundational models are swallowing the application layer.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Hundreds of pages of incident reports paint a disturbing picture — a 12-year-old convulsing after apparently swallowing an unknown object, a 15-year-old cutting a large gash in her arm with pieces of a broken toilet, residents stabbing staffers with wooden shards from a broken bed frame.—
Samantha Rappaport,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Verb
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There’s probably a smart, chilling film to be made about the terrors of smothering and relentless adoration — one imagines what Rod Serling would have done with something like this — but this isn’t really that film.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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More recently, massive desalination plants, which often double as electric power plants, have been dumping hot brine that rapidly sinks, smothering life at the Gulf’s bottom, Riegl says.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangling. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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