asphyxiate

verb

as·phyx·i·ate | \ as-ˈfik-sē-ˌāt

, əs-\

asphyxiated; asphyxiating

Definition of asphyxiate

: to cause asphyxia in : to kill, suspend animation in, or make unconscious through want of adequate oxygen, presence of noxious agents, or other obstruction to normal breathing The murder victim was asphyxiated.

intransitive verb

: to become asphyxiated … ended in several deaths, including that of a … secretary who asphyxiated during a smoke bombing.— Robert I. Friedman

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Examples of asphyxiate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There is the body of a rabbit, asphyxiated by carbon monoxide in the garage, honored and painstakingly restored. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "Taxidermy Is a Metaphor for Our Time," 21 Aug. 2019 That had to have been a [lesson in how] to asphyxiate yourself. — Clark Collis, EW.com, "Brendan Fraser got 'fully choked-out' shooting The Mummy," 23 July 2019 Neighbors discover a notorious poacher asphyxiated in his cabin; soon after, the body of a police commander turns up at the bottom of a well. — Julian Lucas, Harper's magazine, "New Books," 22 July 2019 On May 7, two were asphyxiated inside a septic tank in West Delhi’s Rohini. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "India’s most demeaning job killed over 100 people in two years, but is anyone bothered?," 28 June 2019 With the Liberal-National coalition government winning a second mandate and the central bank ready to cut rates, expectation is that Australia’s economy which has felt asphyxiated over the last nine months, could start breathing again. — James Glynn, WSJ, "Glynn’s Take: Australia’s Economy to Get Some Fresh Air," 23 May 2019 In this nightmare scenario, Mission Control would bid Armstrong and Aldrin farewell, then cut communication as the two prepared to asphyxiate. — Stephen Witt, WIRED, "Apollo 11: Mission Out of Control," 24 June 2019 And its toll continues: liberal rationalism is, in Gray’s view, an impoverished creed that has asphyxiated richer forms of life. — Kwame Anthony Appiah, The New York Review of Books, "Dialectics of Enlightenment," 9 May 2019 Many people exposed to the cloud of gas would be asphyxiated. — Dan Dubno, Popular Mechanics, "How We'll Stop Chemical Attacks," 28 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'asphyxiate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Sep 2019

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Time Traveler for asphyxiate

The first known use of asphyxiate was in 1836

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More Definitions for asphyxiate

asphyxiate

verb

as·phyx·i·ate | \ as-ˈfik-sē-ˌāt

asphyxiated; asphyxiating

Kids Definition of asphyxiate

: to cause (as a person) to become unconscious or die by cutting off the normal taking in of oxygen whether by blocking breathing or by replacing the oxygen of the air with another gas

asphyxiate

verb

as·phyx·i·ate | \ -sē-ˌāt

asphyxiated; asphyxiating

Medical Definition of asphyxiate

transitive verb

: to cause asphyxia in also : to kill or make unconscious through inadequate oxygen, presence of noxious agents, or other obstruction to normal breathing

intransitive verb

: to become asphyxiated

Other Words from asphyxiate

asphyxiation \ -ˌfik-sē-ˈā-shən

\ noun

asphyxiator \ -ˈfik-sē-ˌāt-ər

\ noun

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