as in strangling
to cause (someone) to stop breathing and often to become unconscious and die
The murder victim was asphyxiated.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asphyxiating
Verb
-
Later that month, another jury said Rafael Andres should be sent back to Florida’s Death Row for beating, stabbing and strangling a La Carreta waitress with a rice cooker cord in 2005.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2026 -
This month, 11 alleged TdA members were indicted in New Mexico, accused of kidnapping, brutally interrogating and strangling to death a man in Albuquerque and burying his body in a remote desert grave, The Center Square reported.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After drowning Noah, 7, John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and 6-month-old Mary, Andrea called the police to confess.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
New York — The gas pump has emerged as a rare source of relief for Americans drowning in higher prices — and that positive trend is expected to continue in 2026, regardless of the uncertainty in Venezuela.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Asphyxiating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asphyxiating. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share