noun
definition
A hind knee of various mammals, especially horses.
definition
A bone disease of this region.
verb
definition
To interrupt or cut off.
definition
To repress, keep in or hold back.
example
The army stifled the rebellion.
definition
To smother or suffocate.
example
The heat was stifling the children.
definition
To feel smothered etc.
example
The heat felt stifling.
definition
To die of suffocation.
example
Two firemen tragically stifled in yesterday's fire when trying to rescue an old lady from her bedroom.
definition
To treat a silkworm cocoon with steam as part of the process of silk production.
Examples of stifles in a Sentence
Don't believe anyone who tells you that theory stifles creativity.
The jagaey (Ficus sp.), which stifles in its giant coils the greatest trees of the forest, and the copei (Clusia rosea) are remarkable parasitic lianas.
The forelegs should be straight and strong and the hindquarters moderately angulated with well turned stifles.
This is due to a neoliberal consensus that stifles opportunity for change, resulting in growing radicalism.
In the one case as in the other, on both sides the struggle provokes passion and stifles truth.
Cow hocks, weak pasterns, straight stifles, and splay feet are very bad faults.
This focus often causes them to conform to their peers, which stifles their creativity and makes their thoughts less flexible.
Many people feel that ordering students to wear the same clothing detracts from their individuality and stifles their creativity.
However, you don't want to be so cautious that it stifles growth.