What does strangle mean?
Strangle is a forceful transitive verb with both a literal and a figurative use. Its figurative sense—common in discussion of politics and economics—means to suppress, restrict, or prevent something from functioning or developing, as when regulations strangle a business. Its literal sense means to kill someone by squeezing the throat and preventing breathing. The verb is often more severe than simply obstruct: a roadblock may delay progress, whereas financial or legal controls can strangle an industry. Because it evokes physical force and suffocation, the word carries a strongly negative connotation and is usually deliberate rather than incidental. In general writing, strangle is vivid but forceful, while throttle may be gentler in technical or economic contexts. The word ultimately comes from Latin, where related forms also gave English the formal terms strangulate and strangulation. Its combination of plain meaning and strong imagery makes it memorable and useful when the intended effect is explicitly one of restriction or suppression.
verbTo kill someone by squeezing the throat so that breathing is prevented. By extension, to restrict, suppress, or prevent the operation or development of something.
- To restrict, suppress, or prevent the operation, growth, or development of something.
- To kill someone by squeezing the throat and preventing breathing.
- To prevent someone from speaking, acting, or expressing themselves freely.
"The committee's new rules could strangle innovation in the industry."
"The committee's new rules could strangle innovation in the industry."
"The device uses a padded band to strangle the flow of water through the pipe."
Its Latin ancestor literally means "to choke," so even modern economic metaphors carry an image of something being deprived of air.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does strangle come from?
The English verb comes from Latin strangulare, meaning "to choke or strangle," formed from strangula, "throat" or "gullet," a term associated with Greek strangylē. In English, the literal sense developed alongside a figurative sense based on the idea of constricting or cutting off something's growth, activity, or circulation. Related Latin forms later produced words such as strangulate and strangulation.
Related word forms
How strangle is actually used
The literal sense is violent and normally describes an intentional act. Figurative use is especially common in political, economic, and technological contexts and is strongly evaluative, suggesting effective control that leaves little room to grow or operate.
Easily confused with strangle
Strangle is the ordinary English verb, whereas strangulate is a more formal or medical verb meaning to choke or strangle and is also the source of the noun strangulation.