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| sti·fle [ stf'l ] (past and past participle sti·fled, present participle sti·fling, 3rd person present singular sti·fles) |
verb |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive and intransitive verb suffocate: to impair somebody's breathing, or find it hard to breathe
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2. transitive verb check or repress something: to curb, repress, or prevent the development of something
 stifled the spreading discontent
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3. transitive verb repress physical act: to cut off a physical act such as a yawn or laugh before it develops
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| [14th century. Probably alteration (after Old Norse stífla "stop up") of Old French estouffer "smother"] |
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| sti·fler noun |
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