étrangler

In a sentence

• Le criminel a tenté d'étrangler sa victime pour l'empêcher de crier.

  The criminal tried to strangle his victim to prevent them from shouting.

  The word 'étrangler' is used here in its literal sense, referring to the act of compressing someone's neck to obstruct breathing.

• Le sentiment de peur l'étranglait, l'empêchant de penser clairement.

  The feeling of fear was strangling him, preventing him from thinking clearly.

  In this sentence, 'étranglait' is used figuratively to describe intense emotion causing difficulty or distress.

• Bien qu'elle chante bien, son trac semble étrangler sa voix.

  Although she sings well, her stage fright seems to strangle her voice.

  Here, 'étrangler' signifies an inhibiting factor affecting the normal performance of singing, metaphorically restricting her vocal capability.