SUFFOCATING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

suffocating 1 of 2

adjective

ˈsə-fə-ˌkā-tiŋ

Definition of suffocating

as in close

lacking fresh air inside the bunker it was suffocating, and some of the men had already passed out

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

suffocating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of suffocate

as in strangling

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

as in choking

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in vomiting

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 suffocating

Adjective

The Hurricanes held Vegas to five total goals in Games 4 and 5 and used a suffocating defense in a 3-0 shutout in Sunday night's clinching Game 6 to win their first championship in 20 years. — CBS News, 15 June 2026 Following a first week marked by a suffocating heatwave, relief finally arrived in Paris on Sunday, with temperatures dropping to 21 degrees C (70 F) around midday. — ABC News, 31 May 2026

Verb

Montanans are suffocating due to an affordability crisis, rising fuel prices and an inexplicable war. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026 Her plan was to float around an underwater living room set up in her inner, surreal, suffocating fantasy world. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suffocating

Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocating

Adjective

With six couples, having two separate houses gave us space to spread out while keeping everyone close enough to gather for dinner, drinks, and games.

— Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026
These regions could warrant closer investigation, but the assessment does not establish that any is suitable for a future greenhouse.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of close

Verb

The latest slate of attacks is strangling a recovery in movement throughout the strait that had been building for weeks.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Officers found multiple videos that showed Jackson grabbing his Goldendoodle by the neck and strangling it before throwing it against a wall, killing it, police said.

— Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of strangling

Verb

Biddy covered most of the journey on foot—the equivalent of about six million steps—herding animals at the rear of her owner’s wagon company and choking her way through a moving screen of dust kicked up by the migrant caravan.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
On top of store closures and unsold inventory, the company was choking on enormous debt from a private equity buyout in 2014.

— Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of choking

Verb

Robertson said that about two days later, her daughter started vomiting, developed a high fever, and had severe diarrhea.

— Erin Jones, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
That stood out to him clearly in his mind because hours later, his assistant, Brown, was vomiting violently out of the car window on the way back to the airport.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of vomiting

Adjective

For all the deserved talk about the Knicks’ dynamic offense, the defense has been far more stifling than their reputation suggests.

— Fred Katz, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Her mother, who had a staid upbringing in California, came to New York in the early sixties looking for someplace more diverse and less stifling.

— Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026

Definition of stifling

Verb

And none of the many alternative remedies for treating lice – such as smothering them with mayonnaise or oil, dehydrating them with saline or hot air, or zapping them with an electronic comb – have proven to be effective.

— Emily J. C. Wong, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
There’s the brutal heat; the skin destroying UV-rays of that miserable, scorching, eye-blinding sun; the constant allergy/sinusitis issues that NEVER let up; the smothering humidity.

— R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of smothering

Adjective

Flaco the owl became a celebrity Central Park resident, with breathless news coverage of Flaco’s impressive self-preservation skills and, eventually, mournful obituaries when Flaco died after flying into a building.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
The vision of a utopian domestic future took a strange turn during the Cold War, marrying the breathless excitement of the space age with the existential dread of nuclear annihilation.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of breathless

Verb

Prosecutors say he was beaten, suspended by his hands and feet and subjected to simulated drowning during two days of interrogation.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Rings, watches, and even bedtime armbands like Garmin's Index Sleep Monitor now log every toss and turn, while dedicated sleep earbuds like the battery-less SomniBuds focus on drowning out the world around you.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of drowning

Browse Nearby Words

suffocates

suffocating

suffrage

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Suffocating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocating. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of suffocating

adjective

verb

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