[
US
/ˈsəfəˌkeɪt/
]
[ UK /sˈʌfəkˌeɪt/ ]
[ UK /sˈʌfəkˌeɪt/ ]
VERB
-
struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake
he swallowed a fishbone and gagged -
become stultified, suppressed, or stifled
He is suffocating--living at home with his aged parents in the small village -
deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor
Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow -
suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of
His job suffocated him -
feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air
The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating -
be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen
The child suffocated under the pillow -
impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
The foul air was slowly suffocating the children
How To Use suffocate In A Sentence
- The Spanish population of New Spain eats too much, he writes, and this is bad for them because it "generates a large amount of excrements, which suffocate the natural heat [of the body]. Pestilence and Headcolds: Encountering Illness in Colonial Mexico
- She suffocated him by holding a pillow over his head until he stopped moving.
- Latex balloons, and toys or games that contain a latex balloon, must carry a warning that children younger than 8 can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons and that adult supervision is required Not just the newest toys hold risks for kids
- There were little blankets designed to wrap the baby like a papoose, but I worried that I would wrap the child too tight and suffocate her. Staceyann Chin: Surviving Halloween, Bedrest, and The Baby Registry
- And you had the duct tape right there in your hand and coulda wrapped that rebellious cotter pin until it suffocated. Monday, Jan. 26 – The Bleat.
- He either suffocated, or froze to death.
- They suffocated and strangled me simultaneously, and I had to fight to surface for air.
- Check if the condenser has leaks; the refrigerant gas could freeze anything it contacts and could suffocate when inhaled.
- The men reportedly suffocated after being held for hours in a vehicle that lacked oxygen.
- He coughed, sneezed, and barked simultaneously -- bleated in one breath, and cackled in the next -- sputteringly shrieked, and chatteringly squealed, with a bass of suffocated roars. The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 8 Epigrams, On With the Dance, Negligible Tales