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
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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
Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2025
Ensure direct contact because these products work by suffocating them, says Harvell.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 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
Wait until Black Friday rolls around to invest in a plush, fleece outfit—and grab a matching set that’s just as cozy without being suffocating.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2025
Ensure direct contact because these products work by suffocating them, says Harvell.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suffocating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocating
Adjective
-
Musk and Gebbia have maintained a close professional relationship; Gebbia sits on Tesla’s board and was introduced to DOGE earlier this year through Musk.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Recent polling has shown Mamdani as the clear front-runner in the field, but the race gets closer when in a three-way contest with Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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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Eating dry chia seeds without a liquid may increase the risk of choking.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
27 Aug. 2025
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Jaworski was arrested May 22 in connection with holding a woman down and choking her March 24, police said.—
Dennis Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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The process, which is similar to vomiting, was discovered in a new study from the Washington University School of Medicine and the Baylor College of Medicine.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Consider the type of AI tool that your business needs to succeed, and begin to strategically introduce and layer the technology in a way that feels supportive, not stifling.—
Eyal Lifshitz,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Broader questions about salary and a new contract are claimed to be stifling Stern's return and amping up the speculation about the next phase of his career.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The first few minutes of the film are a breathless, almost wordless introduction to the Otherlands, with Scarlet trapped under rotting hands clamoring to keep her there.—
Adam Solomons,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
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There have been no breathless interviews about wedding plans or a tour hiatus.—
Gemma Allen,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Led by Parker, Allen has star power and depth reminiscent of the smothering 2017 to 2019 units the allowed less than 290 yards per game.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Thanks to open-cell technology, air flows easily through the material to prevent you from getting hot and stuffy while sleeping.—
Shea Simmons,
People.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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David Ketchum, the goofy comic actor and prolific TV writer best known for squeezing into such stuffy spaces as vending machines, trash cans and airport lockers as Agent 13 on the fabled sitcom Get Smart, has died.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suffocating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocating. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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