STRANGLING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

strangling

verb

present participle of strangle

as in choking

to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air the gull got tangled in a piece of fishing line on the beach and was strangled

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in throttling

to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe the boy complained that he was being strangled by his tie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stifling

to refrain from openly showing or uttering strangled a gasp of surprise upon hearing the news

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of strangling Prosecutors allege Clancy planned the killings by sending her husband to pick up takeout food and medicine, then, while he was gone, strangling the children with exercise bands. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Prosecutors say the killings were deliberate, arguing that Clancy sent her husband out on errands before strangling the children and then attempting suicide. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026 Clancy jumped out a window after strangling the children to death and was paralyzed in the fall. — Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026 After strangling her children, Clancy jumped from a second-story window and remains paralyzed from the waist down. — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Lindsay has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the strangling deaths of her three young children in 2023. — Lindsay Kimble, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026 Clancy admitted to strangling to death her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, who was just 8 months old. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Conahan was arrested in February 1997, accused of raping Montgomery, strangling him and cutting off his genitals to eliminate DNA tracing. — Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangling

Verb

The man in black is wracked and choking, mangling the words, eyes dripping.

— George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Additionally, rope toys can cause a choking hazard or even lacerate your dog’s digestive tract.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of choking

Verb

Mostly sunny skies are then expected through the work week, with stifling temperatures by mid-week, the forecast shows.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026
Several horses collapsed from heat exhaustion after competing in stifling heat in the middle of the day during the cross-country phase of the eventing.

— Danielle Rossingh, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of stifling

Verb

Chandler Police Department spokesperson Sonu Wasu said Trigg was hospitalized after authorities responded to a drowning call on May 12.

— Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
Oliver has been away from Buffalo's facility for periods this summer in the aftermath of his son, also named Ed, drowning in June at a residential pool in Houston.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of drowning

Verb

Many cope by masking or camouflaging — suppressing autistic traits in order to fit in.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
However, moderate levels enable the locus coeruleus to emphasize task-relevant information while suppressing background noise.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

This came out in 2012, in that awkward growing-pains stage between the early post-teenybopper rebellion of Can’t Be Tamed and the suffocating culture wars of Bangerz.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
With a suffocating debt and pension load, and another looming budget deficit, Chicago cannot afford incoherence on this important fiscal and social issue.

— Joe Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of suffocating

Verb

Popular media and Southern folklore frequently claimed that kudzu was swallowing 150,000 new acres every year and had overtaken anywhere from 7 to 9 million acres across the region.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
The cause of the powerful torrents of floodwater that carved a devastating path through Nepal and Tibet — swallowing towns, roads and bridges — is not yet clear, but Nepal is a hotspot for climate disasters as the planet heats up.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of swallowing

Verb

The scrutiny at the club is like no other, the media attention can be smothering and the level expected from fans is so high.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
This is typically done with a sod cutter, by smothering with cardboard or plastic, or with a nonselective herbicide.

— Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of smothering

Browse Nearby Words

strangles

strangling

strap

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Strangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangling. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of strangling

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

conscientious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes