as in strangled
to cause (someone) to stop breathing and often to become unconscious and die
The murder victim was asphyxiated.
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Recent Examples of asphyxiated
Mexican authorities found Erbach’s body alongside a road outside the city two days later, and determined he had been asphyxiated.
—
Steve Fisher,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
The petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cited reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos.
—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
The 10-mile-high plume asphyxiated around 200,000 residents but also preserved the city in remarkable detail.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
The fine ash preserved the site but asphyxiated 200,000 residents.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 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
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
The vocals mutate like asphyxiated Wingdings and aborted thoughts.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
17 Dec. 2025
Teddy is found, bound and asphyxiated, in Cooper’s bedroom, which Aggie cannot bear to enter.
—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
6 Dec. 2025
Steve Fisher,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
The petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cited reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos.
—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
The 10-mile-high plume asphyxiated around 200,000 residents but also preserved the city in remarkable detail.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
The fine ash preserved the site but asphyxiated 200,000 residents.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 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
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
The vocals mutate like asphyxiated Wingdings and aborted thoughts.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
17 Dec. 2025
Teddy is found, bound and asphyxiated, in Cooper’s bedroom, which Aggie cannot bear to enter.
—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
6 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asphyxiated
Verb
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One woman says the woman who was being strangled was nearly dead when the attacker was confronted.
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Instead, the men were beaten to death and strangled in a basement.
Verb
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In the Stockyards, more than 5,000 head of livestock had drowned.
-
Anne Arundel County fire officials are urging families to review pool safety after two young children drowned in separate residential pools last weekend.
Cite this Entry
“Asphyxiated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asphyxiated. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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