strangling

stran·gle  (strnggl)

v. stran·gled, stran·gling, stran·gles

v.tr.

1.

a. To kill by squeezing the throat so as to choke or suffocate; throttle.

b. To cut off the oxygen supply of; smother.

2. To suppress, repress, or stifle: strangle a scream.

3. To inhibit the growth or action of; restrict: "That artist is strangled who is forced to deal with human beings solely in social terms" (James Baldwin).

v.intr.

1. To become strangled.

2. To die from suffocation or strangulation; choke.

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[Middle English stranglen, from Old French estrangler, from Latin strangulre, from Greek strangalan, from strangal, halter.]

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strangler n.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

strangling - the act of suffocating (someone) by constricting the windpipe; "no evidence that the choking was done by the accused" strangulation, throttling, choking suffocation, asphyxiation - killing by depriving of oxygen