Word Games Pro Dictionary

suffocate

verb

struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake

Quick reference

Word Facts

Word length
9
Starts with
S
Ends with
E
Contains
UF
Scrabble score
17
Database source
OEWN 2025 Core

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Meaning

Definitions

verb

  1. struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake

    “he swallowed a fishbone and gagged”

verb

  1. feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air

    “The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating”

verb

  1. be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen

    “The child suffocated under the pillow”

verb

  1. suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of

    “His job suffocated him”

verb

  1. become stultified, suppressed, or stifled

    “He is suffocating — living at home with his aged parents in the small village”

verb

  1. impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of

    “The foul air was slowly suffocating the children”

verb

  1. deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing

    “Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow”

In context

Example Sentences

he swallowed a fishbone and gagged
The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating
The child suffocated under the pillow
His job suffocated him
He is suffocating — living at home with his aged parents in the small village
The foul air was slowly suffocating the children
Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow
The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor

Similar words

Synonyms

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