Synonyms of suffocate

suffocate

verb

ˈsə-fə-ˌkāt 

1

as in to strangle

to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air

the law requires the owner of a discarded refrigerator to remove its door so that a child won't get trapped inside and suffocate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• strangle
• choke
• drown
• smother
• stifle
• destroy
• asphyxiate
• throttle
• slay
• fell
• garrote
• dispatch
• croak
• do in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breathe
• inspire
• expire
• inhale
• revive
• exhale
• resuscitate

2

as in to choke

to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe

temporarily suffocated by the seat belt

Synonyms & Similar Words

• strangle
• choke
• throttle
• asphyxiate
• smother
• garrote
• stifle
• scrag

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restore
• revive
• resuscitate

3

as in to vomit

to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe

suffocating in the thick, black smoke of the burning building

Synonyms & Similar Words

• choke
• vomit
• gag
• heave
• smother
• stifle
• throw up
• asphyxiate
• retch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breathe
• inspire
• respire
• expire

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of suffocate

The way to Mizzou’s historic day on the ground was paved by the team’s suffocating defense. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby carved through three hitless innings to keep San Diego completely suffocated. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Sierra pleaded guilty in August to the 2012 murders of his estranged wife, 29-year-old Gladys Machado, and her two daughters, 6-year-old Julia and 3-year-old Daniela Padrino, by suffocating them with a plastic bag. — Anna McAllister, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Experts back then warned that as trains got faster, passengers would suffocate, or that looking at unnaturally fast-moving scenery could permanently compromise visual processing. — Mark P. Mills, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026