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

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

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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

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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 Sierra, Rifkin said, chose to suffocate a woman who loved him and her two girls, whose only crime was witnessing what had happened to their mother. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026 Years of political turmoil, corruption and the ascendance of a deadly gang coalition are suffocating Haiti’s capital city. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 Critics see a once-lively multiethnic crossroads suffocated by Chinese authoritarianism. — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2026 Libertad highlights that, in the face of suffocating and delimiting colonialism, Puerto Ricans have always fought for a better future. — Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocate
  1. strangle
  2. choke
  3. vomit
  4. drown
  5. smother
Verb
  • Michael MacIvor was hit in the back of the head with a blunt object and kicked in the midsection before being strangled.
    — CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Wandering further afield, Wright recounts the case of Walker Railey, a Methodist minister accused of strangling his wife and leaving her in a vegetative state.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • Finally, Europe needs the ability to retaliate when China or the United States threatens to choke it.
    — Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026
  • But the real culprit is his failing Iran war, which has choked supply from the Middle East.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • At some point that night, Ammann vomited black fluid, Frei later testified.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • On the surface, his new album Antione’s Son is the same old same old—airy melodies, drug talk, vomiting ad-libs—but punched up by suburban ennui and in-the-weeds romantic tales that makes the music feel refreshingly personal.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of vomit
Verb
  • Equally weighting stocks ensures companies in smaller industries aren’t drowned out by massive ones, like Big Tech.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Other components in blood can produce stronger signals that drown them out, according to a scientific review published in Applied Spectroscopy.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of drown
Verb
  • The Bucs have so far smothered the Panthers' offense and evidence of that was Al-Quadin Muhammad's strip-sack of Carolina quarterback Bryce Young.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • But crisp tortilla layers arrived smothered with vegan cheddar and fresh, vine-ripe tomatoes.
    — Amanda Eyre Ward, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of smother

Browse Nearby Words

sufficing
suffocate
suffocated
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Cite this Entry

“Suffocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocate. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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