suffocating

adjective

suf·​fo·​cat·​ing ˈsə-fə-ˌkā-tiŋ How to pronounce suffocating (audio)
: tending or serving to suffocate or overpower : overwhelming
suffocatingly adverb

Examples of suffocating in a Sentence

inside the bunker it was suffocating, and some of the men had already passed out
Recent Examples on the Web The funeral became the largest public expression of dissent in Russia in the two years since President Vladimir Putin launched a suffocating crackdown following his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2024 Following the death of her brother as a teenager, Kayla has looked for a way out from under the suffocating expectations of her mother. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 This isn’t callousness or delusive optimism but, rather, a rebellion against the suffocating expectation that the elderly have foreclosed the possibility of joy. Hillary Kelly, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024 At age 17, there are only so many ways a high school student can flee a suffocating life. Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024 Based on his experiences, his new novel set in the summer of 1968 features a fortune teller in a suffocating carnival, her husband, a charismatic tightrope walker who has disappeared, and their precocious 11-year-old daughter. Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 4 Feb. 2024 After thwarting an attempt by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to wrest power from it, Hamas assumed governance of Gaza only to see Israel impose a suffocating blockade. Joost R. Hiltermann, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023 The deaths of workers like Leon, some barely at middle age, have alarmed California lawmakers and regulators as dozens of cases of the suffocating illness have emerged among people who cut and grind countertops. Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023 Archbishop Hoban flexed its defensive muscles in a suffocating 35-0 victory over St. Ignatius at Euclid Community Stadium on Friday night. Robert Fenbers, cleveland, 15 Sep. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of suffocating was in 1604

Dictionary Entries Near suffocating

Cite this Entry

“Suffocating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suffocating. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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