bâillonner

Senses

1. 1.

   to gag

   to silence someone by placing a gag in their mouth or preventing them from speaking

2. 2.

   to silence

   to suppress someone's freedom of expression or voice, metaphorically

Examples

• "Les criminels ont bâillonné leur victime pour l'empêcher de crier."

  The criminals gagged their victim to prevent her from screaming.

• "On ne peut pas bâillonner la presse dans une démocratie."

  You cannot silence the press in a democracy.

• "Il sentait bâillonné par les règles de l'école."

  He felt silenced by the school's rules.

Usage

A transitive verb used in both literal (physical gagging) and figurative (censorship, suppression) contexts. Common in political or journalistic discourse when discussing freedom of speech. Note the spelling: "bâillon" (gag) + "-er" suffix; the circumflex accent is standard.