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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suffocate
The victims were smashed against metal anti-riot fences or trampled underfoot, and many suffocated.
—
Steve Douglas, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
Workers themselves — despite it all — can choose to remove their PPE on long, hot days where a plastic suit and heavy duty mask feel suffocating.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife, and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close.
—Danica Coto, Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2025
The Thunder’s defense has been suffocating all postseason, minus a couple of blips in the conference finals.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Steve Douglas, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
Workers themselves — despite it all — can choose to remove their PPE on long, hot days where a plastic suit and heavy duty mask feel suffocating.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife, and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close.
—Danica Coto, Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2025
The Thunder’s defense has been suffocating all postseason, minus a couple of blips in the conference finals.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocate
Verb
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And those payments are now strangling the city’s budget.—
Daniel Borenstein,
Mercury News,
17 June 2025
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Progressives say Connecticut has over-corrected for past fiscal mistakes, saving excessively and strangling core programs, even in times of high inflation or shrinking federal aid.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Officers then spoke to the second victim, who said Bonds slammed them to the floor and choked them as well.—
Michelle L. Quinn,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
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Its options are widely considered to include retaliation against U.S. forces in the region as well as choking a major global oil supply route, the Strait of Hormuz.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 June 2025
Verb
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Groups of patients that gradually increased dosage had lower rates of discontinuations and vomiting than those who did not.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
25 June 2025
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Tom Cruise recalled that all the actors who tried to perform in those fighter jets vomited their brains out.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
25 June 2025
Verb
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The funeral service for a Metro Transit Police Department sergeant who drowned on Sunday in White Bear Lake will be Friday.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
25 June 2025
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Tragically, eight people drowned, while two were rescued by lifeguards, park rangers and nearby civilian boaters who rushed to help.—
Bethany Wales,
Sacbee.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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This speaks to the potential that Iran owes to its heritage, but that has been smothered by a small, inward looking and harsh theocracy, aided and abetted by the Revolutionary Guard who exert de facto control over the Iranian economy as well as other sectors.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Vines like English ivy, wisteria, honeysuckle, and bittersweet can smother trees and shrubs, block sunlight, and spread aggressively if not controlled early.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suffocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocate. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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