asphyxiates

verb

present tense third-person singular of asphyxiate
as in strangles
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 Synonyms for asphyxiates
  1. strangles
  2. drowns
Verb
  • Left with only her hands to fight off Seema, uh … Julia strangles her to death.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
  • More news Heat sets new records as oppressive humidity strangles Southern California.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of strangles
Verb
  • However, after Mitt drowns himself in the midst of a terminal illness, Jay goes diving in search of his father’s remains.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
  • As the male assassin finds her and nearly drowns her in a lake, River catches up to the scene in time to save her, and the episode shifts to accommodate the romantic chemistry that’s been simmering between them since the series premiere.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of drowns
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Asphyxiates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asphyxiates. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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