Vocabulary

Stifle

English and Urdu gloss, synonyms and antonyms, and example usage from our editorial sentence cache where available.

English meaning
make (someone) unable to breathe properly; suffocate.
Urdu meaning
دباﺅ ڈالنا، دم روک دینا، گھلا گھوٹنا
Example sentences (from Dawn)

Sentences are selected from stored editorial text where your search word appears. If none appear yet, run the admin sentence generator for fuller coverage.

  1. Cybercrime laws should not become tools to stifle free expression, criminalise dissent or widen the net of vague offences.
    Dawn Editorials — Cyber dangers — 2026-01-19
  2. Complacency is not an option as wrongful acquittals foster impunity, erode public trust and stifle economic progress as investments stay away from unsafe societies.
    Dawn Editorials — Pending justice — 2025-11-24
  3. The regulator has only totakecarethatitdoesn`t stifle innovation.VAO envisages permitting a range of activities to establish an ecosystem for the issuance, trading and custody of DAs.
    Dawn Editorials — Regulating crypto — 2025-11-01
  4. But in reality these are dark dungeons that contain and stifle thought.
    Dawn Editorials — Why Trump hates Harvard — 2025-08-02
  5. Stunting, caused mainly by malnutrition, is known to stifle cognitive and physical development.
    Dawn Editorials — A prayer and national security — 2025-07-28
Synonyms
suffocate, choke, asphyxiate, smother, very hot, sweltering, airless, suffocating

Antonyms
cold, chilly
Curator example
“those in the streets were stifled by the fumes”

About this vocabulary section. These entries support close reading of Dawn editorials and opinion pieces: short definitions, Urdu equivalents where we have them, word relations, and—when generated—real lines from the editorial archive so you can see tone and usage.

Common questions

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No. Word pages are open to everyone. You can read meanings in English and Urdu, synonyms and antonyms, and example sentences without creating an account.
Where do the example sentences come from?
When available, example sentences are drawn from cached matches in our Dawn editorial corpus so you can see how a word is used in real newsroom-style prose.
How is this different from a dictionary?
This section is curated for students preparing for competitive exams and editorial reading. Entries are compact, often include Urdu glosses, and are paired with in-context lines from editorials when we have them.