suffocate

verb

ˈsə-fə-ˌkāt How to pronounce suffocate (audio)
Definition of suffocatenext
1
as in to strangle
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air the law requires the owner of a discarded refrigerator to remove its door so that a child won't get trapped inside and suffocate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to choke
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe temporarily suffocated by the seat belt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to vomit
to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe suffocating in the thick, black smoke of the burning building

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of suffocate Rachel Henry, 27, is accused of suffocating the children, all under the age of 4, in January 2020 in Phoenix, according to a Feb. 14 news release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. — Sara Schilling, Sacramento Bee, 14 Feb. 2025 Isolated and suffocating under the weight of their circumstances, the fault lines of the married couple’s relationship are exposed. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 12 Feb. 2025 And inmates have been seen to writhe and struggle when the latest method, nitrogen gas, is used to suffocate them as it is pushed through a mask. — CBS News, 7 Mar. 2025 Alhambra’s defense became suffocating for International in the second half as the Jaguars struggled to find any clean looks. — Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocate
  1. strangle
  2. choke
  3. vomit
  4. drown
  5. smother
Verb
  • Investigators couldn’t determine how many of them were killed, though at least one had been strangled.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Join 13 others in the comments View Comments Apart from more details on the reserve, industry bigwigs (who’ve long complained that the Biden administration was strangling crypto) are looking forward to some basic regulatory guidance.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • Drummond stops choking Mark and backs off slowly, then smashes the pistol from Lorne’s hand.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Our beaches are full of these pieces of plastic that end up choking our marine life and polluting our waterways.
    — Steve Padilla, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of choke
Verb
  • As Elizabeth became sicker, vomiting then unresponsive, Jason Struhs seemed to waver in his conviction, but church members rallied around him, encouraging him to follow God’s will.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
  • Symptoms of poisoning are vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and jaundice.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2025
Definition of vomit
Verb
  • Businesses across sectors are drowning in information, yet many still haven’t found the right tools to manage, interpret, and act on it effectively.
    — Cathy Hackl, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • According the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, the artist drowned after inhaling difluoroethane, and taking alprazolam (a generic form of Xanax).
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of drown
Verb
  • At their best, both teams can smother and stifle with their full-court pressing defenses after made shots.
    — Mark Schindler, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
  • What’s supposed to come across as loving and supportive might instead feel smothering or disingenuous.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of smother

Browse Nearby Words

suffocate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Suffocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocate. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on suffocate

Nglish: Translation of suffocate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All