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 Russia already forces foreign vessels to submit to a complicated and suffocating system of permissions and permits to operate within its exclusive economic zone. — Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026 The streaming industry is increasingly moving toward that sort of suffocating consolidation. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026 Investigators said Sierra forced the family inside the home and locked the girls in a bedroom before taking Machado into the master bedroom and suffocating her with a plastic bag. — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 Coffee grounds suffocate roots, causing rot and depleting nitrogen needed for growth. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocate
  1. strangle
  2. choke
  3. vomit
  4. drown
  5. smother
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
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • There is a fear that a company will be forced to dilute shareholders or choke itself with expensive debt to build factories to fulfill orders.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The woman denied the allegations, and Ross hit her in the chest several times, the report says, and choked her, restricting her breathing by twisting the collar of her hoodie.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of choke
Verb
  • On the way home from swim lessons, Brooklyn vomited all over the back seat.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In June, Clark vomited at halftime during a game against the Atlanta Dream, which the Fever went on to win.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of vomit
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
Definition of drown
Verb
  • The circumstances are objectively potent — but Udofia smothers them in such a barrage of cutesiness and self-conscious signalling that a wall rises between us and the play.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Noah Kim threw two touchdown passes and the Eastern Michigan defense smothered Lindenwood to help post a 29-3 win on Saturday.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 Sep. 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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