Suffocate

Quick meaning: Suffocate is a verb meaning (ergative) To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

Meaning

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

More Meanings

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

Example Sentences

to suffocate fire

Let not hemp his windpipe suffocate.

I'm suffocating under this huge workload.

Open the hatch, he is suffocating in the airlock!

Word Forms

• suffocates
• suffocating
• suffocated

Synonyms for suffocate

Depending on context, synonyms include asphyxiate, choke, stifle, drown, smother, gag.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include asphyxiate, smother, choke, gag, stifle, strangle.

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