Synonyms of suffocates

suffocates

verb

present tense third-person singular of suffocate

1

as in strangles

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

• strangles
• chokes
• smothers
• drowns
• stifles
• destroys
• throttles
• asphyxiates
• slays
• garrotes
• dispatches
• fells
• croaks
• does in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breathes
• inspires
• expires
• inhales
• exhales
• revives
• resuscitates

2

as in chokes

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

temporarily suffocated by the seat belt

Synonyms & Similar Words

• strangles
• chokes
• throttles
• smothers
• stifles
• asphyxiates
• garrotes
• scrags

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restores
• revives
• resuscitates

3

as in vomits

to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe

suffocating in the thick, black smoke of the burning building

Synonyms & Similar Words

• chokes
• vomits
• smothers
• gags
• stifles
• heaves
• throws up
• retches
• asphyxiates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breathes
• inspires
• expires
• respires

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of suffocates

Landscape fabric suffocates microorganisms, blocks nutrients, and degrades into microplastics. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 July 2026

The pure, post-Bee Gees charisma Bellamy mustered in the 2000s seems to have vacated him entirely, and the song’s funkiness suffocates under the flatness of his delivery. — Liam Inscoe-Jones, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026

The tension suffocates as He-Man reaches for his Power Sword, but Skeletor isn't backing down here either. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 3 June 2026

More than the page itself, the routine summons the part of his conscience that survives on muscle memory and suffocates uncertainty. — Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 23 May 2026

Constantly soggy soil suffocates roots and invites rot — the plant equivalent of trench foot. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026

Most beginners assume more water equals healthier plants, but constantly soggy soil suffocates roots and triggers rot. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026

Complexity is exactly what suffocates scale. — May Habib, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026

The piercing doesn't necessarily damage the trees, but their excrement, which is high in sugar, stains the trees and blocks photosynthesis, which eventually suffocates the trees, the researchers said. — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 9 Feb. 2026