Suffocate

/ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ · verb

Meaning

(ergative) To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body..

Definitions by Sense

1. (ergative) To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.
2. (ergative) To die due to, or kill someone by means of, insufficient oxygen supply to the body.
3. (ergative, figuratively) To overwhelm, or be overwhelmed (by a person or issue), as though with oxygen deprivation.
4. (transitive) To destroy; to extinguish.
5. (obsolete, as a participle) Suffocated, choked.
6. (obsolete) Smothered, overwhelmed.

Example Sentences

Open the hatch, he is suffocating in the airlock!

It is because of freedom, one netizen replied: Like air, you may not realize its importance, but when suffocating, you would know how precious it is.

He suffocated his wife by holding a pillow over her head.

Let not hemp his windpipe suffocate.

I'm suffocating under this huge workload.

If the trend to private cars continues, the more quickly will the road traffic suffocate itself, [...].

to suffocate fire

This chaos, when degree is suffocate, follows the choking

Synonyms for suffocate

Antonyms for suffocate

Related Words

Word Forms

• suffocates
• suffocating
• suffocated
• more suffocate
• most suffocate

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions