1
as in to strangle
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
the law requires the owner of a discarded refrigerator to remove its door so that a child won't get trapped inside and suffocate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of suffocate
You’re located near some of the prime tourist spots—just a 10- to 15-minute walk from historic rainbow houses along Nyhavn, Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park, and the Rosenborg castle—but won't feel suffocated by crowds.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Mar. 2026
According to the testimonies, conditions were extreme — suffocating heat by day and cold at night — with deaths reported.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
But the Bulldogs could not do a lot against Windsor’s suffocating defense, led at the top by Alex Weaver and Brown.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Texas Tech, which had a school-record four wins over top-10-teams this season, struggled down the stretch after losing Toppin and simply had no answers for Alabama’s suffocating defense or the Crimson Tide’s speed.
—Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Mar. 2026
According to the testimonies, conditions were extreme — suffocating heat by day and cold at night — with deaths reported.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
But the Bulldogs could not do a lot against Windsor’s suffocating defense, led at the top by Alex Weaver and Brown.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Texas Tech, which had a school-record four wins over top-10-teams this season, struggled down the stretch after losing Toppin and simply had no answers for Alabama’s suffocating defense or the Crimson Tide’s speed.
—Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocate
Verb
-
That’s a dynamic that strangled the labor market.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
-
As of March 23, 2026, the global energy market is no longer governed by the invisible hand of economics; it is being strangled by the rigid, non-negotiable laws of engineering.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Billy Randolph had shaped them and how his death had altered their lives, responses came after long pauses and were choked with grief.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated March 27,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Or perhaps the team was shellshocked by the Netflix spectacle that delayed the game 20-something minutes and choked the field with fireworks smoke.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Worrisome symptoms that warrant a call to a doctor include dizziness, ongoing diarrhea with a fever over 102 degrees and an inability to keep liquids down without vomiting.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Research shows that 81 percent of mountaineers experience nausea and/or vomiting as a result.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Project’s participants were instructed to fight one another and endure simulated drowning, among other humiliations and discomforts, while remaining awake for most of three days.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Authorities alleged Goldberg followed her and tried to drown her before a bystander intervened.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But UConn’s smothering defense forced five turnovers against the junior guard and limited the rest of her team to just 30 points.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
-
In the West, a smothering heat dome moved east after almost two weeks of record March temperatures; four spots in Arizona and California hit 112 degrees, and dozens of locations set heat records all the way to Pennsylvania and South Carolina.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suffocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocate. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
