strangled 1 of 2

adjective

as in choked

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strangled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of strangle
1
as in drowned
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

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2
as in throttled
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe the boy complained that he was being strangled by his tie

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3
as in stifled
to refrain from openly showing or uttering strangled a gasp of surprise upon hearing the news

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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 strangled
Verb
Prosecutors allege Clancy planned the killings by sending her husband to pick up takeout food and medicine, then, while he was gone, strangled the children with exercise bands. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Over the course of the trial, Clancy’s attorney, the redoubtable Kevin Reddington, repeatedly acknowledged that his client strangled her children in the basement of her home on January 24, 2023, while her then husband was out running errands. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026 Clancy, 36, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all younger than 6 — who were discovered strangled at the family's home in January 2023. — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026 The 36-year-old Massachusetts mother strangled her three children to death; a jury will decide whether to accept her insanity defense. — Violet Jira, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026 Both prosecutors and her defense agree Clancy fatally strangled her children with exercise bands, and then cut her wrists and neck and jumped out of a window, at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home on January 24, 2023. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 Court documents said Vecchio allegedly punched the victim multiple times in the face and then strangled the victim with both hands before kneeing her in the face. — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 An autopsy later determined that JonBenét had been strangled to death and suffered a severe head injury. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026 And over the course of six years, her character was put through an emotional wringer as well, getting shot, drugged by her stepmother, strangled, nearly drowned and repeatedly kidnapped — usually while wearing tiny denim cutoffs and a crop top. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strangled
  1. choked
  2. drowned
  3. stifled
  4. strained
  5. suffocated
  6. suppressed
  7. cracked
  8. smothered
Adjective
  • The western island of South Sumatra also battled fires, with more than 1,700 hot spots detected on Sunday, causing a choked haze cloud and reducing visibility to only 10 meters (33 feet) in some areas, the ministry said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • However, that deal fell apart after the US unleashed a fresh wave of attacks on Iran in mid-July, following Iranian strikes on vessels in the choked Strait of Hormuz.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Definition of choked
Verb
  • Andrea Yates, the Texas mother who drowned her five children in their bathtub in 2001, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 2006 retrial.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Another teen drowned early in the season, on May 18, in Lake Michigan waters.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of drowned
Verb
  • That has stifled storm chances and ripped apart storms like Dolly.
    — Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
  • This debate has been fiercely stifled by current politicians, including Sanae Takaichi—who is, ironically, the first female prime minister in Japanese history.
    — Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of stifled
Adjective
  • The second of four children, Cusk had a strained relationship with her parents.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
  • His injuries also included a strained AC joint in his shoulder and abrasions on his face, the affidavit states.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of strained
Verb
  • Irish authorities are reportedly seeking a warrant to extradite the primary suspect in the brutal murder of Jamey Carney, a 43-year-old New York mother found beaten and suffocated in her Killarney home last month.
    — Louis Casiano , Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Not all avalanche victims die by asphyxiation — injuries from getting hit by a wall of snow or being swept through trees and rocks can kill people even if they’re not buried or suffocated.
    — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of suffocated
Verb
  • When women tried to march for their rights, they were violently suppressed, and by 2023, nearly all those in Afghan jails were political prisoners, and many were tortured.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Hong Kong's independent bookstores, many of them tucked away from busy streets inside buildings, have long offered a refuge and a window to a freer world for some mainland Chinese readers seeking ideas suppressed at home.
    — KANIS LEUNG, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of suppressed
Adjective
  • Inspect the weatherstripping for cracked, compressed or missing foam, vinyl or rubber seals.
    — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Use them to cover a cracked deck, upgrade a front porch, create a barefoot-friendly walkway around a hot tub or pool, or even define a dedicated grilling station that’s easy to sweep clean.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 July 2026
Definition of cracked
Verb
  • When the restaurant itself opens, diners can also expect to see Giancarlo’s take on his grandmother’s spaghetti & blue crab, smothered in Sunday gravy and spaghetti tossed in the same sauce, topped with fresh basil.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Open for breakfast and lunch, the eatery sticks largely to the classics—think omelets, pancakes, eggs Benedict, and plenty of biscuits, best enjoyed smothered in gravy, of course.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of smothered

Browse Nearby Words

strangle
strangled
stranglehold
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Cite this Entry

“Strangled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strangled. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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