Christopher Columbus's "The Idiot's Guide to Killing a Shark Barehanded" and "The Twenty Ways to Strangle a Giant Squid" both went on to become bestsellers.
Source: tatoeba (564007)
Strangle
/ˈstɹæŋɡ(ə)l/
Synonyms for "strangle" (205 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (41)
Strong matches (62)
Related words (102)
hobblehog tiehog-tiehold downinflict capital punishmentjamjump onkeep downkeep underkeykillknitknock outlapidatelatchlocklock outlock upmanaclemuffle
Show 72 more words
murdermuzzlenarrowobstructoccludeodpackpadlockparalyzeplumbpour water onprostratepuckerpucker uppurseput downput output to deathquashquellquenchreducerepresssealseal offseal upsecureshootshortenshushshutshut downshut down onshut offshut outshut the doorshut tightshut upsilencesit down onsit onslamsmashsmothersnapsnuff outsolidifysquashsqueezesqueeze shutsquelchstamp outstanchstand in the waystarvestiflestonestop the breathstop upstrangulatestultifysubduesuffocatesuppressthrottletrample outtrample underfoottrusstruss upwrinklezip upzipper
Verb(5 words)
Noun(4 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: choke, hamper, smother, stifle, throttle.
- Sentence evidence is available for strangle, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "strangle".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "strangle"
Keep "strangle" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "strangle" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "strangle", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "strangle" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
23 entriesShowing 16 of 23 words.
More specific
6 entriesCollocations
6 entriesstrangle developmentstrangle growthstrangle investmentstrangle marketstrangle supplystrangle the economy
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriesTranslations
80 translations across 52 languages.
Ancient Greek
2 entries- στραγγαλίζω verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- ἄγχω verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Arabic
1 entries- خَنَقَ verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- boğmaq verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Basque
1 entries- itota hil verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Belarusian
2 entries- душы́ць verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- прыдушы́ць verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Bikol Central
1 entries- hugot verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Bulgarian
1 entries- удушавам verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Catalan
2 entries- escanyar verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- estrangular verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 扼殺 /扼杀 verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Czech
2 entries- dávit verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- uškrtit verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Danish
1 entries- kvæle verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Dutch
2 entries- worgen verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- wurgen verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Esperanto
1 entries- strangoli verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Finnish
1 entries- kuristaa verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
French
1 entries- étrangler verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Galician
2 entries- esganar verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- estrangular verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Georgian
4 entries- ახრჩობს verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- გუდავს verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- დაგუდვა verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- დახრჩობა verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
German
2 entries- erwürgen verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- strangulieren verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Greek
1 entries- στραγγαλίζω verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Hebrew
2 entries- חנק verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- חנק למוות verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Hungarian
2 entries- fojtogat verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- megfojt verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Indonesian
1 entries- mencekik verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Irish
1 entries- tacht verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Italian
1 entries- strangolare verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Japanese
1 entries- 絞め殺す verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Khiamniungan Naga
1 entries- thīp-àh verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Khmer
3 entries- ច្របាច់ក verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- ត្របែងក verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- រឹតក verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Korean
1 entries- 교살하다 verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Latin
4 entries- angō verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- offōcō verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- strangulō verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- suffōcō verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Lithuanian
1 entries- pasmaugti verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Middle English
1 entries- stranglen verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Māori
3 entries- nanati verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- ronarona verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- tārona verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Norman
1 entries- êtranglyi verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- fetisandin verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Old Church Slavonic
1 entries- загрълꙗти verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Old English
2 entries- wyrgan verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- āwyrġan verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- بوغمق verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Portuguese
2 entries- estrangular verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- sufocar verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Quechua
1 entries- sipiy verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Russian
3 entries- души́ть verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- задуши́ть verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- придуши́ть verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- mùch verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- tachd verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- zadaviti verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Slovak
1 entries- zaškrtiť verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Spanish
1 entries- estrangular verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Swahili
1 entries- nyonga verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Swedish
1 entries- strypa verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Tagalog
3 entries- manakal verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- sakalin verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- sumakal verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Thai
1 entries- บีบคอ verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Turkish
1 entries- boğmak verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Ukrainian
3 entries- души́ти verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- задуши́ти verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
- придуши́ти verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Vietnamese
1 entries- bóp nghẹt verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Welsh
1 entries- tagu verb (to kill someone by strangulation)
Sample sentences
16 total sentences available.
Tom couldn't quite bring himself to strangle Mary.
Source: tatoeba (1029399)
That's right, when you greet him you must strangle him with all your strength. He'll be glad.
Source: tatoeba (1327748)
The first person to repeat that to my wife, I will strangle. Understood?
Source: tatoeba (1435898)
Showing 4 of 16 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "strangle"?
Closest matches include choke, hamper, smother, stifle, throttle.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "strangle"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.