Dictionary definition · stifle
noun
- joint between the femur and tibia in a quadruped; corresponds to the human knee
verb
- suppress in order to conceal or hide"smother a yawn"
- suppress or constrain so as to lessen in intensity"Stifle your curiosity"
- impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of"The foul air was slowly suffocating the children"
- be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen"The child suffocated under the pillow"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).