asphyxiate

Definition of asphyxiatenext
as in to strangle
to cause (someone) to stop breathing and often to become unconscious and die The murder victim was asphyxiated.

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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 asphyxiate Mexican authorities found Erbach’s body alongside a road outside the city two days later, and determined he had been asphyxiated. — Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026 The petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cited reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos. — Armando Garcia, ABC News, 10 June 2026 The 10-mile-high plume asphyxiated around 200,000 residents but also preserved the city in remarkable detail. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 3 June 2026 The fine ash preserved the site but asphyxiated 200,000 residents. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for asphyxiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asphyxiate
Verb
  • Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is stationed at Futenma Air Station, on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the island's capital city, Naha, early Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old Ohio native belonging to the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel and stealing her wallet and backpack.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Workers and employers are drowning in their health insurance premiums.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • And three, sometimes four, of those many waking hours are spent in the car — bouncing from home to school to her second or third job and home again — with music at full blast to drown out the babble of anxiety, most of it financial.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Asphyxiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asphyxiate. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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