asphyxiation

noun

as·​phyx·​i·​ation as-ˌfik-sē-ˈā-shən 

əs-

: deprivation of oxygen that can result in unconsciousness and often death : an act of asphyxiating a person or animal or a state of asphyxia : suffocation

The autopsy showed that the cause of death was asphyxiation.

Pliny the Elder did not die of falling pumice, but of asphyxiation, as he breathed noxious fumes from the eruption.

—Sidney Perkowitz

Asphyxiation at birth caused permanent impairment of his nerve-signaling system …

—Ann Geracimos

In rats, mice, and rabbits ciguatera poison causes death by asphyxiation.

—Kwang-ming Li

Examples of asphyxiation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 10 deaths were caused by compression asphyxiation, the result of massive crowd crush of concert goers breaking through barriers and scaling walls attempting to get a spot near the stage. —Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026

Zimmerman and his wife of 50 years, Marie-Claire Lambert, died of asphyxiation in a house fire, local news publications report. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 20 Jan. 2026

The song eventually escalates into a lecherous, breathless, glittering climax of incandescent synthesizers and melodic moans—an erotic asphyxiation depicted as utterly glorious. —Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026

Such tactics are not prohibited outright but are often discouraged, including by federal trainers, in part because using them for a prolonged time risks asphyxiation. —Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing asphyxiation

• autoerotic asphyxiation

Rhymes for asphyxiation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration