stifle

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈstaɪfl̩/
  Play
• General-American: /ˈstaɪf(ə)l/
  Play
• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play
• rhymes with -aɪfəl
  Play
• CMU ARPABET: S T AY1 F AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  Play

The verb is derived from Late Middle English stuflen (“to have difficulty breathing due to heat, stifle; to suffocate by drowning, drown”) [and other forms]; further etymology uncertain. Also found in Middle English forstyflyd (“stifled, choked”, past participle). Perhaps derived from Middle English stuffen (“to kill by suffocation; to stifle from heat; to extinguish, suppress (body heat, breath, humour, etc.); to deprive a plant of the conditions necessary for growth, choke”) + -len (frequentative suffix). Stuffen is derived from Old French estofer, estouffer (“to choke, strangle, suffocate; (figuratively) to inhibit, prevent”) [and other forms] (modern French étouffer), a variant of estoper, estuper (“to block, plug, stop up; to stiffen, thicken”) (modern French étouper (“to caulk”)), influenced by estofer (“to pad, stuff; to upholster”) (modern French étoffer). Estoper is derived from Vulgar Latin *stuppāre, from Latin stuppa (“coarse flax, tow”) (as a stuffing material; from Ancient Greek στύπη (stúpē), στύππη (stúppē) (compare στυππεῖον (stuppeîon)); probably from Pre-Greek) + -āre. According to the Oxford English Dictionary a derivation from Old Norse stífla (“to dam; to choke, stop up”) “appears untenable on the ground both of form and sense”. The noun is derived from the verb.

The noun is derived from Middle English stifle (“joint between the femur and tibia of a quadruped”) [and other forms]; further etymology uncertain, probably derived from Anglo-Norman estive (“leg”), and Old French estive (“leg”) (compare Old French estival (“boot, shoe”)). The verb is derived from the noun.

129 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: polvi — joint between the femur and tibia in the hind leg of various four-legged mammals, especially horses
• Finnish: takapolvi — joint between the femur and tibia in the hind leg of various four-legged mammals, especially horses
• French: grasset — joint between the femur and tibia in the hind leg of various four-legged mammals, especially horses
• Italian: grassella — joint between the femur and tibia in the hind leg of various four-legged mammals, especially horses
• Portuguese: curvejão — joint between the femur and tibia in the hind leg of various four-legged mammals, especially horses
• Portuguese: jarrete — joint between the femur and tibia in the hind leg of various four-legged mammals, especially horses
• Spanish: babilla — joint between the femur and tibia in the hind leg of various four-legged mammals, especially horses
• Bulgarian: душа (duša) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Bulgarian: задушавам (zadušavam) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Bulgarian: удушавам (udušavam) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Czech: dusit — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Czech: udusit — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Danish: kvæle — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Dutch: verstikken — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Dutch: versmoren — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Finnish: tukehduttaa — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• French: étouffer — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Galician: sufocar — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Galician: esganar — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• German: erdrücken — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• German: ersticken — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Hungarian: megfojt — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Irish: plúch — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Italian: soffocare — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Italian: boccheggiare — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Japanese: 窒息させる (chissoku saseru) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Japanese: 抑圧する (yokuatsu suru) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Japanese: 消す. 静める (kesu) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Japanese: もみ消す (momikesu) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Khmer: បន្ថប់ (bɑɑbɑnthɑp) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Latin: suffōcō — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Māori: tāmi — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Māori: tātāmi — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Occitan: sufocar — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Portuguese: sufocar — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Russian: души́ть (dušítʹ) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Russian: задуши́ть (zadušítʹ) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Slovak: dusiť — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Slovak: udusiť — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Spanish: sofocar — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Swedish: stävja — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Swedish: kväva — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Turkish: bastırmak — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Turkish: boğulmak — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Ottoman Turkish: بوغمق (boğmak) — to make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) death by preventing breathing; smother, suffocate
• Bulgarian: задушавам (zadušavam) — to cause (someone) difficulty in breathing, or a choking or gagging feeling
• Czech: dusit — to cause (someone) difficulty in breathing, or a choking or gagging feeling
• Galician: esganar — to cause (someone) difficulty in breathing, or a choking or gagging feeling
• Galician: asfixiar — to cause (someone) difficulty in breathing, or a choking or gagging feeling
• Bulgarian: потискам (potiskam) — to prevent (a breath, cough, or cry, or the voice, etc.) from being released from the throat
• Czech: potlačit — to prevent (a breath, cough, or cry, or the voice, etc.) from being released from the throat
• Czech: zadusit — to prevent (a breath, cough, or cry, or the voice, etc.) from being released from the throat
• Czech: přemoci — to prevent (a breath, cough, or cry, or the voice, etc.) from being released from the throat
• Czech: dusit — to prevent (a breath, cough, or cry, or the voice, etc.) from being released from the throat
• French: étouffer — to prevent (a breath, cough, or cry, or the voice, etc.) from being released from the throat
• Galician: sufocar — to prevent (a breath, cough, or cry, or the voice, etc.) from being released from the throat
• Galician: reprimir — to prevent (a breath, cough, or cry, or the voice, etc.) from being released from the throat
• German: unterdrücken — to prevent (a breath, cough, or cry, or the voice, etc.) from being released from the throat
• Bulgarian: заглушавам (zaglušavam) — to make (something) unable to be heard by blocking it with some medium
• Czech: potlačit — to make (something) unable to be heard by blocking it with some medium
• Czech: zadusit — to make (something) unable to be heard by blocking it with some medium
• Czech: zahlušit — to make (something) unable to be heard by blocking it with some medium
• French: étouffer — to make (something) unable to be heard by blocking it with some medium
• Bulgarian: потушавам (potušavam) — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Chinese Mandarin: 壓抑 /压抑 (yāyì) — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Czech: potlačit — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Dutch: onderdrukken — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Finnish: tukahduttaa — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Finnish: vaimentaa — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• French: réprimer — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Galician: reprimir — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Galician: sufocar — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Galician: afogar — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• German: unterdrücken — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Hungarian: elfojt — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Italian: soffocare — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Italian: reprimere — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Italian: trattenere — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Italian: affogare — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Japanese: 抑える (osaeru) — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Japanese: 噛み殺す (kamikorosu) — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Khmer: រារាំង (rie reaŋ) — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Lithuanian: slopinti — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Māori: nanati — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Māori: nati — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Māori: whakakōmau — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Māori: whakapongere — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Māori: tāmoe — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Norwegian Nynorsk: kua — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Norwegian Nynorsk: hemma — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Occitan: reprimir — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Portuguese: reprimir — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Russian: подавля́ть (podavljátʹ) — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Russian: подави́ть (podavítʹ) — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Spanish: reprimir — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Spanish: sofocar — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Spanish: afogar — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Spanish: suprimir — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Swedish: dämpa — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Swedish: stävja — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Swedish: tillbakahålla — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Swedish: undertrycka — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Turkish: tutmak — to keep in, hold back, or repress (something)
• Bulgarian: задушавам се (zadušavam se) — to die of suffocation
• Czech: udusit se — to die of suffocation
• Dutch: stikken — to die of suffocation
• Finnish: tukehtua — to die of suffocation
• French: suffoquer — to die of suffocation
• Galician: asfixiarse — to die of suffocation
• German: ersticken — to die of suffocation
• Hungarian: megfullad — to die of suffocation
• Italian: asfissiare — to die of suffocation
• Italian: soffocare — to die of suffocation
• Japanese: 窒息する (chissoku suru) — to die of suffocation
• Khmer: ថប់ដង្ហើមស្លាប់ (thɑpdɑɑnghaəmslap) — to die of suffocation
• Occitan: sufocar — to die of suffocation
• Portuguese: sufocar — to die of suffocation
• Russian: задыха́ться (zadyxátʹsja) — to die of suffocation
• Russian: задохну́ться (zadoxnútʹsja) — to die of suffocation
• Spanish: asfixiarse — to die of suffocation
• Swedish: kvävas — to die of suffocation
• Turkish: boğulmak — to die of suffocation
• Bulgarian: задъхвам се (zadǎhvam se) — to feel smothered
• Finnish: tukahtua — to feel smothered
• Italian: boccheggiare — to feel smothered
• Japanese: 窒息しそう (chissoku shisou) — to feel smothered
• Khmer: ថប់ (thɑp) — to feel smothered
• Russian: задыха́ться (zadyxátʹsja) — to feel smothered
• Russian: задохну́ться (zadoxnútʹsja) — to feel smothered