- (v.t.) To stop; to extinguish; to deaden; to quench; as, to stifle the breath; to stifle a fire or flame.
- (v.t.) To stop the breath of by crowding something into the windpipe or introducing an irrespirable substance into the lungs; to choke; to suffocate; to cause the death of by such means; as, to stifle one with smoke or dust.
- (v.t.) To suppress the manifestation or report of; to smother; to conceal from public knowledge; as, to stifle a story; to stifle passion.
- (v.i.) To die by reason of obstruction of the breath or because some noxious substance prevents respiration.
- (n.) The joint next above the hock, and near the flank, in the hind leg of the horse and allied animals; the joint corresponding to the knee in man; -- called also stifle joint. See Illust. under Horse.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). stifle. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/stifle/definitions/2066490 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "stifle" http://smartdefine.org/stifle/definitions/2066490 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, stifle, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/stifle/definitions/2066490>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "stifle" 28 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/stifle/definitions/2066490> |