Stifle
Stifle is a verb which means to prevent something from happening, being expressed, or continuing. It also means to make someone unable to breathe
Origin
The word has been in use since the late 14th Century to mean “to cholee, suffocate, drown.” It possibly came from an alteration of the Old French estouffer “to stifle, smother” The metaphoric sense of “to withhold from circulation or expression has been in use since the 1570s.
Usage
The student stifled a giggle when the teacher pronounced her name wrong.
We tried our best to stifle yawns during the lecture.
The residents in the building were almost stifled by the fumes.
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