verb

1. To interrupt or cut off.

2. To repress, keep in or hold back.

   “The army stifled the rebellion.”

3. To smother or suffocate.

   “The heat was stifling the children.”

Synonyms: hinder, restrain, suppress, throttle

noun

1. The act by which something is stifled.

adjective

1. That stifles.

   “The heat was stifling; it seemed hard to breathe and the exertion of rolling over on the bed seemed too much.”