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
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 petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cites reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 27 Jan. 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
She had been asphyxiated and then mutilated after her death.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
In Oregon in February 2023, a 23-month-old child was asphyxiated after his shirt got caught on one of the hooks while climbing and crawling through the opening at the back of the play kitchen where the toy kitchen accessories are held, per the CPSC.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 5 Aug. 2025
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
The petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cites reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 27 Jan. 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
She had been asphyxiated and then mutilated after her death.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
In Oregon in February 2023, a 23-month-old child was asphyxiated after his shirt got caught on one of the hooks while climbing and crawling through the opening at the back of the play kitchen where the toy kitchen accessories are held, per the CPSC.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asphyxiated
Verb
-
She was found strangled to death, and despite what authorities described as an extensive investigation at the time, the case went cold the following year.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
However, after some of his friends started to come forward, police eventually learned that Griffith had strangled Flores Narvaez to death during a heated argument.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the time he was gone, his daughter nearly drowned and his son swallowed an unknown amount of pool water while trying to get her out of the water, paramedics told police in the arrest report.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
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Police are investigating the death of a woman who drowned while competing in the Ironman Texas triathlon.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Asphyxiated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asphyxiated. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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