as in close
lacking fresh air
inside the bunker it was suffocating, and some of the men had already passed out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in strangling
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in choking
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe
temporarily suffocated by the seat belt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vomiting
to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe
suffocating in the thick, black smoke of the burning building
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suffocating
Genevieve Cepeda, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2025
Florida played its style of game in both outings, using a suffocating defense to limit quality chances and knowing Bobrovsky will swallow up whatever gets missed.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025
Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
With English Subtitles French maestro Claire Denis’ taut chamber piece simmers with dark secrets and emotional tensions in its portrait of a community suffocating from the relentless grip of colonialism.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suffocating
Adjective
The stiff feel, plus the suffocating heat of summer in NYC, is a recipe for disaster.
—Genevieve Cepeda, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2025
Florida played its style of game in both outings, using a suffocating defense to limit quality chances and knowing Bobrovsky will swallow up whatever gets missed.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
Enyedi has often made meditative cinema, but here her restraint in some sequences verges on suffocating.
—Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
With English Subtitles French maestro Claire Denis’ taut chamber piece simmers with dark secrets and emotional tensions in its portrait of a community suffocating from the relentless grip of colonialism.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suffocating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocating
Adjective
-
Looking back at Charlotte’s recent FCS opponents, dating back to 2021, the 49ers haven’t won the turnover battle in any of the four matchups, resulting in uncomfortably close games and even a lopsided loss to William & Mary in 2022.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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As Vevo’s Senior Manager of Talent Booking, Cynthia Todd emphasized the close partnership and trust that goes into making opportunities like these special performances come together in Live From Vevo Studios.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Former Ohio State long snapper Michael Roen McCullough was arrested in Columbus early Friday morning after allegedly punching his girlfriend and strangling her during an argument, according to police records.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Visualizing the ropes of the nets twisting around the necks of these animals, slowly strangling, choking, running out of oxygen.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In a video of the attack, Johnson is seen choking Cundiff for more than a minute and a half, resuming the strangling after Cundiff appeared unconscious, causing injuries to his throat and face.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Authorities in the United States and the United Kingdom have warned consumers that counterfeit Labubu are poorly made and may contain small, detachable parts such as eyes, hands, and feet, which present a serious choking hazard to young children.—
Haicen Yang,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Then, early in the morning of February 18, Chernyak began having seizures and vomiting in his bunk bed.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Other more serious, though rare, risks include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease and potential kidney injury — particularly if severe dehydration occurs due to vomiting, the expert cautioned.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lately, however, that search for control has become overly cautious, stifling attacking adventure.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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After enduring a stifling sea of sameness in the basic design of the iPhone since the iPhone X, Apple’s new line of iPhone 17s finally brings a very diverse and distinctive breadth of offerings to people looking for an iPhone.—
Bob O’Donnell,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And as Brown’s book races toward its elaborate climax, his (and Langdon’s) breathless effusions about the neuro-technological progress that awaits us sound jarringly out of sync with the anxious, doomy present.—
Book Marks
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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Almost four and a half hours later, the couple woke up to a breathless little boy.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An offseason of change came to fruition under the lights at Bank of America Stadium on Friday night, with first-year head coach Dowell Loggains’ Appalachian State Mountaineers smothering the Charlotte 49ers from start to finish, grabbing a 34-11 season-opening victory.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Aug. 2025
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Naomi is a textbook Jewish mother, nagging and cajoling and smothering her children with logorrheic abandon.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The late Tom Wolfe, rubbing his hands with glee and spilling lemonade on his white suit, would be delighted that tradition has now taken its revenge on stuffy Bauhaus Europeanism, and maybe rightly so.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
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Armani, who had already introduced unstructured jackets for men and women, was part of the generation of designers who ushered in a less formal fashion era, one that would allow men and women to look refined without looking stuffy.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suffocating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocating. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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