suffocate

verb

suf·fo·cate ˈsə-fə-ˌkāt

suffocated; suffocating

Synonyms of suffocate next

transitive verb

a(1)

: to stop the respiration of (as by strangling or asphyxiation)

(2)

: to deprive of oxygen

: to make uncomfortable by want of fresh air

: to impede or stop the development of

intransitive verb

: to become suffocated:

a(1)

: to die from being unable to breathe

(2)

: to die from lack of oxygen

: to be uncomfortable through lack of fresh air

: to become checked in development

suffocation

ˌsə-fə-ˈkā-shən

noun

suffocative

ˈsə-fə-ˌkā-tiv

adjective

Examples of suffocate in a Sentence

The poor dog could suffocate in the car on a hot day like this. Don't put your head in a plastic bag—you could suffocate.

Recent Examples on the Web The angle of the sleeper can allow infants to roll over, or fall forward, and suffocate. —

Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 24 Sep. 2023 It’s made from a cotton blend that’ll keep you warm without the suffocating side effects of an itchy wool knit. —

Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023 Knowing what would comfort you, and knowing how to ask for it in a way that is liberating and not suffocating for you and the comfort-giver, is a very difficult thing. —

Liz Appel, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2023 The Utes were their suffocating selves, holding Florida to one third down conversion in 13 attempts, 13 yards rushing and three points during the first 50 minutes of the game. —

Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 3 Sep. 2023 The first two weeks of July were the Earth’s hottest on human record, and people across the country continue to suffer from lingering, suffocating heat waves. —

Matthew Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2023 And babies should only be put to sleep on a firm, flat surface—like a crib or bassinet—without pillows or other products that could suffocate the infant. —

Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 29 Aug. 2023 If Pimentel’s scenes deliberately suffocate, those of the American abstractionist Mildred Thompson, who died in 2003, catapult us outward. —

Laura Bannister Carla Valdivia Nakatani Jameson Montgomery Christopher Kuo Gisela Williams, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2023 Prude was just out of a psychiatric hospital and running naked through snowy streets when he was suffocated by police who had been called to help him. —

Jennifer Peltz and Jesse Bedayn, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'suffocate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin suffōcātus, past participle of suffōcāre "to stifle, choke, deprive of air, squeeze together," from suf-, assimilated form of sub- sub- + -fōcāre, verbal derivative of fauc-, faux (ordinarily in plural faucēs) "upper part of the throat, pharynx, windpipe," of obscure origin

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler

The first known use of suffocate was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century