strangulation

noun

stran·​gu·​la·​tion ˌstraŋ-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: the action or process of strangling or strangulating

2

: the state of being strangled or strangulated

especially : excessive or pathological constriction or compression of a bodily tube (such as a blood vessel or a loop of intestine) that interrupts its ability to act as a passage

Examples of strangulation in a Sentence

The cause of death was strangulation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Clancy, 36, was charged with three counts of murder in the January 2023 strangulation deaths of her three children – Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months – at the family's Duxbury, Massachusetts, home. — Mike Snider, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

At the time, Lindsay pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. — Selena Barrientos, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

At the center of it all is Clancy, the former labor and delivery nurse charged with murder in the strangulation of her three children. — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

Cooper, 28, was arrested on June 4 following an argument and physical confrontation with his then-girlfriend that eventually resulted in a felony assault charge of strangulation. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for strangulation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

strangulation

noun

stran·​gu·​la·​tion ˌstraŋ-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: an act or process of strangling

2

: the state of being strangled

Medical Definition

strangulation

noun

stran·​gu·​la·​tion ˌstraŋ-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: the action or process of strangling or strangulating

2

: the state of being strangled or strangulated

especially : excessive or pathological constriction or compression of a bodily tube (as a blood vessel or a loop of intestine) that interrupts its ability to act as a passage