Dictionary
stran•gle
Pronunciation: (strang'gul), [key]
—v., -gled, -gling.
—
v.t.
1. to kill by squeezing the throat in order to compress the windpipe and prevent the intake of air, as with the hands or a tightly drawn cord.
2. to kill by stopping the breath in any manner; choke; stifle; suffocate.
3. to prevent the continuance, growth, rise, or action of; suppress:
Censorship strangles a free press.
—
v.i.
to be choked, stifled, or suffocated.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.