English dictionary
suffocate
verbAudio pronunciation
Parts of speech
Definitions
verb
- struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake
verb
- feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air
verb
- be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen
verb
- suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of
verb
- become stultified, suppressed, or stifled
verb
- impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
verb
- deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
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