suffocate
verb
suf·fo·cate
ˈsə-fə-ˌkāt 
suffocated; suffocating
1
a(1)
: to stop the respiration of (as by strangling or asphyxiation)
(2)
: to deprive of oxygen
b
: to make uncomfortable by want of fresh air
2
: to impede or stop the development of
1
b
: to be uncomfortable through lack of fresh air
2
: to become checked in development
Examples of suffocate in a Sentence
The poor dog could suffocate in the car on a hot day like this.
Don't put your head in a plastic bag—you could suffocate.
Recent Examples on the Web
But don’t suffocate them with overly formal onboarding.
—
Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Run in fear, stamp it underfoot, or poison and suffocate it with insecticide?
—Salama Udaipurwala, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024
But the five-years-long beef is a glimpse of a rap subculture suffocating on its own bloodlust.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2024
Unfortunately, before Mabel can make it there, somebody else arrives and suffocates Glen with a pillow — because, at its core, this is a television show about killing Paul Rudd.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for suffocate 
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Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Run in fear, stamp it underfoot, or poison and suffocate it with insecticide?
—Salama Udaipurwala, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024
But the five-years-long beef is a glimpse of a rap subculture suffocating on its own bloodlust.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2024
Unfortunately, before Mabel can make it there, somebody else arrives and suffocates Glen with a pillow — because, at its core, this is a television show about killing Paul Rudd.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for suffocate
Dictionary Entries Near suffocate
Cite this Entry
“Suffocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suffocate. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
suffocate
verb
suf·fo·cate
ˈsəf-ə-ˌkāt
suffocated; suffocating
1
a
: to stop the breathing of (as by strangling)
b
: to deprive of oxygen
c
: to make uncomfortable by want of fresh air
2
: to become suffocated
especially
: to die or suffer from being unable to breathe or from lack of oxygen
Medical Definition
suffocate
verb
suf·fo·cate
ˈsəf-ə-ˌkāt
suffocated; suffocating
1
: to stop the respiration of (as by strangling or asphyxiation)
2
: to deprive of oxygen
: to die from being unable to breathe
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