# strangle

/ˈstɹæŋɡəɫ/ (US) · /stɹˈæŋɡəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/strangle
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to squeeze the throat

verb · CEFR B2

to kill or injure someone by squeezing their neck so they cannot breathe.

For teachers: to kill or incapacitate by compressing the throat, thereby obstructing the airway or blood flow.

- The attacker tried to strangle the victim, but she managed to fight him off.
- Forensic evidence suggested the victim was strangled with a silk scarf, as there were distinct ligature marks around the neck area.

### 3. options trading strategy

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a way of trading where you bet that a price will move a lot, but you are not sure if it will go up or down.

For teachers: An options strategy involving the simultaneous purchase of a put and a call with different strike prices but the same expiration date.

- The investor decided to buy a strangle because she expected the market to be very volatile.
- By executing a strangle, the trader aimed to profit from a significant price swing in the underlying stock following the earnings announcement.

Usage: Usually refers to a 'long strangle' or 'short strangle' depending on the investor's position.

Teaching tip: This is a highly specialized term in finance; learners should not confuse it with a 'straddle', which uses the same strike price.

## Examples

- High interest rates can strangle small businesses.
- The new regulations threatened to strangle the startup ecosystem by imposing impossible compliance costs on small firms.
- Economists argue that the sudden withdrawal of liquidity from the market could effectively strangle the recovery before it has a chance to gain any real momentum.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.