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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suffocates
Just like particles behave differently when observed, your business suffocates under micromanagement.
—
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Rather than conjuring a mood of bracing inexorability, this linear focus only suffocates what might be an interesting debate, as a man of the modern world weighs his values against those of a woman raised in atavistic isolation.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Rather than conjuring a mood of bracing inexorability, this linear focus only suffocates what might be an interesting debate, as a man of the modern world weighs his values against those of a woman raised in atavistic isolation.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocates
Verb
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At that point, both Hsiao-Lee’s life and our perspective open up toward something more hopeful, even if plenty of turmoil — including another unbearable scene in which Chiang nearly strangles Chuan to death — continues back home.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hybrid-resilient architecture—local backups that can kick in like muscle memory when the cloud chokes.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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On the ground, there’s a war of grappling, chokes, and limb breaks, and Oliveira is one of the best to ever fight it.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Plants will slowly die with yellowing foliage as water builds up in the container and drowns the roots.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
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But rather than capturing the madness of the era, Lee drowns in sub-Scorsese excess, confusing saying a lot of things bluntly with saying something meaningful.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In the TikTok video, Ella lies with her arms at her sides and stifles a giggle.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
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This stifles innovation as well as open communication.—
Dr. Cynthia J. Young,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suffocates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocates. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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