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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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

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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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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 Similar in stature to Riq Woolen, Jones has a rare 6-4 frame for a cornerback, with the length and speed to suffocate receivers. — Dane Brugler, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 With a suffocating debt and pension load, and another looming budget deficit, Chicago cannot afford incoherence on this important fiscal and social issue. — Joe Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 On the other hand, tiny pots might suffocate roots and increase the demand for water. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2026 Irish authorities are reportedly seeking a warrant to extradite the primary suspect in the brutal murder of Jamey Carney, a 43-year-old New York mother found beaten and suffocated in her Killarney home last month. — Louis Casiano , Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocate
  1. strangle
  2. choke
  3. vomit
  4. drown
  5. smother
Verb
  • Prosecutors allege Clancy planned the killings by sending her husband to pick up takeout food and medicine, then, while he was gone, strangled the children with exercise bands.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Her body was discovered by children and had stab wounds, severe head injuries and injuries consistent with strangling.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • Almost constant air raids in Kyiv have now reached their third day, choking the economy in the Ukrainian capital and severely disrupting civilian life more than 4½ years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Both victims were illegally choked to death by white police officers.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • On a muggy Saturday afternoon in mid-August, tennis player Novak Djokovic appeared to vomit into a towel and called for a doctor to check his blood pressure before unexpectedly losing a second-round match in Cincinnati.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The people who genuinely benefit are those vomiting or experiencing diarrhoea badly enough to be dehydrated.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of vomit
Verb
  • Deputies riding Sea-Doos on July 18 rescued three swimmers not wearing life jackets who were close to drowning on Petite Lake in unincorporated Lake Villa.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The turbine room could have filled with water if the emergency shutdown systems failed, potentially drowning anyone inside.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of drown
Verb
  • One jumper is famous for having smothered miles of flames with his jacket; in Alaska, jumpers have used spruce boughs and burlap bags filled with moss.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Both experts agree that a thick layer of top dressing can actually smother your grass.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 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 5 Sep. 2026.

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