The meaning of Stifle

adjective

Stuffy; not ventilated.

Usage examples:

A dusty, airless basement

adjective

Having little or no air from outside, and having no movement of air

Usage examples:

My hotel room was small, airless, and uncomfortable.

verb

Kill (someone) by depriving them of air.

Usage examples:

They were asphyxiated by the carbon monoxide fumes

verb

To be unable to breathe, usually resulting in death, or to cause someone to be unable to breathe; suffocate

Usage examples:

[ t ] the men were asphyxiated by smoke., we thought we would die of asphyxiation on that crowded t…

adjective

At or near boiling point.

Usage examples:

Boiling water

noun

The action of bringing a liquid to the temperature at which it bubbles and turns to vapour.

Usage examples:

Reheat gently to just below boiling

verb

(with reference to a liquid) reach or cause to reach the temperature at which it bubbles and turns to vapour.

Usage examples:

We asked people to boil their drinking water

phrasal verb

Control and refrain from showing

phrasal verb

To refuse to talk about something that angers or worries you

Usage examples:

Feelings that had been bottled up for years came flooding out.

verb

Examine (something) in order to determine its accuracy, quality, or condition, or to detect the presence of something.

Usage examples:

Customs officers have the right to check all luggage

noun

An examination to test or ascertain accuracy, quality, or satisfactory condition.

Usage examples:

A campaign calling for regular checks on gas appliances

exclamation

Us spelling of cheque.

verb

(of a person or animal) have severe difficulty in breathing because of a constricted or obstructed throat or a lack of air.

Usage examples:

Willie choked on a mouthful of tea

noun

A valve in the carburettor of a petrol engine that is used to reduce the amount of air in the fuel mixture when the engine is started.

Usage examples:

An automatic choke

noun

The inedible mass of silky fibres at the centre of a globe artichoke.

Usage examples:

Cut the artichokes in half and remove the hairy inner choke and any hard leaves, leaving only the t…

adjective

Tending to form clots; sticky.

Usage examples:

Claggy mud

adjective

Thick and sticky

Usage examples:

The soil in the garden was thick, claggy clay., the claggy weather in the west will clear to leave …

adjective

Only a short distance away or apart in space or time.

Usage examples:

The hotel is close to the sea

adverb

Very near to someone or something; with very little space between.

Usage examples:

They stood close to the door

noun

Another term for high (sense 7 of the adjective).

verb

Have or hold (someone or something) within.

Usage examples:

The cigarettes were thought to contain cannabis

noun

A check or restraint on something.

Usage examples:

Plans to introduce tougher curbs on insider dealing

verb

Variant spelling of kerb.

noun

A stone edging to a pavement or raised path.

phrasal verb

Defend oneself

phrasal verb

To try hard not to show a strong emotion

Usage examples:

She fought back the tears as she watched her brother go., you’ve seen him fight back every time he’…

idiom

Refrain from doing

phrasal verb

Hesitate to act or speak.

Usage examples:

He held back, remembering the mistake he had made before

phrasal verb

Prevent or restrict the progress or development of someone or something.

Usage examples:

My lack of experience held me back a bit

adjective

Marked by a relatively high level of water vapour in the atmosphere.

Usage examples:

A hot and humid day

adjective

(of air and weather) containing extremely small drops of water in the air

Usage examples:

New york is very hot and humid in the summer.

verb

Wrap or cover for warmth.

Usage examples:

Everyone was muffled up in coats and scarves

noun

A receptacle in a furnace or kiln in which things can be heated without contact with combustion products.

Usage examples:

A muffle furnace

verb

To make a sound quieter and less clear

Usage examples:

Ted and i looked at each other with open mouths and muffled our laughs in our sleeves., i could hea…

adjective

(of the weather) unpleasantly warm and humid.

Usage examples:

It was a hot, very muggy evening

adjective

(of weather) very warm and humid (= containing a lot of very small drops of water in the air)

adjective

Inflicting harsh and authoritarian treatment.

Usage examples:

An oppressive dictatorship

adjective

Oppressive weather is hot, with a lot of wetness in the air.

verb

Satisfy (one's thirst) by drinking.

Usage examples:

He no longer quenches his thirst by drinking sodas.

noun

An act of quenching a very hot substance.

Usage examples:

It should be noted, however, that this is not altogether advantageous, since the direction, as well…

verb

Prevent (someone or something) from doing something; keep under control or within limits.

Usage examples:

The need to restrain public expenditure

noun

Complete absence of sound.

Usage examples:

Sirens pierce the silence of the night

verb

Prohibit or prevent from speaking.

Usage examples:

She was silenced by the officer's stern look

noun

An absence of sound; complete quiet

Usage examples:

A profound silence spread itself through the sleeping house., [ u ] the two men ate in silence and …

verb

Kill (someone) by covering their nose and mouth so that they suffocate.

Usage examples:

I dreamt a stranger was trying to kill me by smothering me with a pillow

noun

A mass of something that stifles or obscures.

Usage examples:

All this vanished in a smother of foam

verb

To prevent a person or animal from getting oxygen

Usage examples:

Several animals were smothered by smoke from the fire., the pasta was smothered with a creamy sauce…

adjective

Having the appearance or consistency of soup.

Usage examples:

A soupy stew

adjective

Slightly thick and wet, like soup

Usage examples:

Add the milk to the sauce in batches and stir, stopping before it gets too soupy., it was okay i su…

adjective

Tending or designed to stick to things on contact.

Usage examples:

Sticky cakes and pastries

noun

A piece of paper with an adhesive strip on one side, used for leaving messages or reminders.

Usage examples:

Perfect pictures of sunny days, birthday parties and proms, of boyfriends, girlfriends and parents …

adjective

Difficult to deal with or solve

Usage examples:

A sticky situation, a sticky issue, you had better wash your sticky fingers.

verb

Die or cause to die from lack of air or inability to breathe.

Usage examples:

They suffocated in their sleep

verb

To die because of a lack of oxygen, or to kill someone by preventing that person from breathing

Usage examples:

[ i ] the government warned parents yesterday not to let infants sleep on small plastic pillows bec…

adjective

Causing difficulty in breathing.

Usage examples:

The suffocating heat

verb

Die or cause to die from lack of air or inability to breathe.

Usage examples:

They suffocated in their sleep

adjective

Something that is suffocating makes you feel uncomfortably hot or unable to breathe

Usage examples:

I've got to open the window - it's suffocating in here!, suffocating smoke/fumes, the book tells th…

verb

Forcibly put an end to.

Usage examples:

The rising was savagely suppressed

verb

To end something by force

Usage examples:

He either has to begin reforms, or he has to suppress the opposition., he was accused of suppressin…

verb

To prevent something from being seen or expressed

Usage examples:

Any decisions to suppress information would have been made by senior managers, not by shareholders.…

verb

Cause or allow (something, especially food or drink) to pass down the throat.

Usage examples:

She swallowed a mouthful slowly

noun

An act of swallowing something, especially food or drink.

Usage examples:

He downed his drink in one swallow

noun

A migratory swift-flying songbird with a forked tail and long pointed wings, feeding on insects in flight.

Usage examples:

The central aim of our study was to demonstrate that both natural and sexual selection have been im…

adjective

Uncomfortably hot.

Usage examples:

A sweltering english summer

verb

Be uncomfortably hot.

Usage examples:

Barney sweltered in his doorman's uniform

adjective

Extremely hot

Usage examples:

A sweltering summer day

verb

Refuse to give (something that is due to or is desired by another).

Usage examples:

The name of the dead man is being withheld

verb

To refuse to give something, or to keep back something

Usage examples:

Has the government been withholding crucial information?, the governor said he would withhold judgm…

verb

If someone withholds something from someone else, they do not allow them to have something they expected to have

Usage examples:

Withhold evidence/facts/information the director is facing disciplinary action after the inquiry fo…