as in close
lacking fresh air
inside the bunker it was suffocating, and some of the men had already passed out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in strangling
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in choking
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe
temporarily suffocated by the seat belt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vomiting
to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe
suffocating in the thick, black smoke of the burning building
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suffocating
Peter Bart, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
Doors and windows were locked, producing a suffocating effect in the hot weather.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
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 suffocating
Adjective
Its suffocating Puritanic culture is suddenly rocked by an exhilarating theater movement fostering the likes of Tamburlaine and Doctor Faustus, but also by an underground of intrigue and dissent that’s hatching schemes to blow up Parliament and extinguish royal rule.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
Doors and windows were locked, producing a suffocating effect in the hot weather.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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 suffocating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocating
Adjective
-
Nevada County’s admission comes as AI programs are under close watch around the globe for introducing incorrect legal references in cases, yet also increasingly offered as tools to help lawyers and judges research and write their briefs, motions and opinions.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Catcher Danny Jansen hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to bust open a close game, and the Rangers held on for an 8-5 road win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In early January 2025, police were called to the Aliquippa VFW when Ours was accused of repeatedly punching and strangling another man, later identified as Preston Coleman.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Jorge Landeros, 56, was sentenced to 25 years in prison more than a decade after reportedly fatally beating and strangling a 52-year-old American University accounting professor in her Maryland home.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The pair have been in physical altercations in the past, including Manning's 2012 arrest for allegedly punching, scratching, kicking and choking Hartman – whom media outlets have referred to as Manning's former make-up artist and assistant – and slamming her head against the floor and wall.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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The man alerted jail deputies that his cellmate, 35-year-old Vincent Chacon, was choking and needed help in the early morning of June 30, according to a probable cause affidavit.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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There are those, however, who do not see regulation as a stifling force.—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
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From there, the house unfolds via a traditional footprint that somehow feels soft and inviting instead of stifling.—
Miriam Schwartz,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There is a lot of breathless talk of autonomous agents reshaping every corner of corporate America, from handling sales calls to writing code to managing supply chains.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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In the breathless reporting that followed, Barkley publicly denied dating Madonna before the 1993 NBA finals.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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And for only children—who believe that a sibling would mean the end of loneliness or a reduction in unwanted or smothering attention, an ally with whom to weather the storm—the wish to have one may be equally strong.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In 2012, the couple opened Rich Table as a break from stuffier environs — a restaurant that put refinement on the plate instead of in the tablecloth, band tees welcome.—
Cesar Hernandez,
San Francisco Chronicle,
27 Mar. 2026
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The service The service style at 1 Hotel Tokyo is easygoing and never stuffy.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suffocating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocating. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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