ASPHYXIATE Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

asphyxiate

verb

Definition of asphyxiate

as in to strangle

to cause (someone) to stop breathing and often to become unconscious and die The murder victim was asphyxiated.

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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 asphyxiate The burns cause swelling, the airways close, and the victim can asphyxiate. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 22 May 2026 Tarrant County prosecutors said Busby and an accomplice abducted Crane, 77, from a grocery store parking lot, robbed her and then asphyxiated her with duct tape, wrapping 14 layers around her face. — Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 20 May 2026 The indictment charges Horner with strangling, smothering or asphyxiating Athena while in the course of kidnapping her. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026 Like being asphyxiated in a ball pit filled with candy, the experience of watching The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is at once kaleidoscopic and nerve-wracking. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for asphyxiate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for asphyxiate

Verb

In the autopsy, the medical examiner determined that Bruneau was strangled sometime during the midmorning.

— Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026
Ortiz allegedly grabbed the woman’s face and neck, threw her to the ground and strangled her, restricting her breathing for about a minute, the prosecutor said in court.

— Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 15 July 2026

Definition of strangle

Verb

According to police, detectives determined that Roper and the juvenile were present when Erving drowned but failed to report the incident and later discarded some of his belongings.

— Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 13 July 2026
The incident occurred on the Elk River in Noel, Missouri, at the beach of the Two Sons Campground, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol drowning report.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2026