All 7 Uses of
stifle
in
The Guardian, by Nicholas Sparks
- In the corner, Mabel stifled a laugh.
Chpt 3stifled = suppressed (prevented something or decreased its development)
- Julie stifled a laugh.
Chpt 15
- She felt the blood drain from her face, and she inhaled sharply, stifling part but not all of the sound with the back of her hand.
Chpt 25stifling = suppressing (preventing something or decreasing its development)
- Stifling her panic, Jennifer focused on the body below her.
Chpt 33 *stifling = suppressing (preventing something from developing further)
- He shook his head, stifling a yawn.
Chpt 38stifling = suppressing (preventing something or decreasing its development)
- The air seemed thick and stifling.
Chpt 39 *stifling = making breathing more difficult -- typically due to heat and humidity
- He whimpered again, and Julie stifled her cry.
Chpt 42stifled = suppressed (prevented something or decreased its development)
Definitions:
-
(1)
(stifle as in: stifling the urge) to suppress (prevent something or decrease its development) -- often political freedom
-
(2)
(stifle as in: the heat is stifling) to make breathing difficult or impossible -- often from heat or humidity
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, to stifle is used in the context of anatomy to refer to a four-legged animal's equivalent of the human knee (the joint between the upper and lower leg).