suffocate

American  

[suhf-uh-keyt] / ˈsʌf əˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

suffocated, suffocating

1. to kill by preventing the access of air to the blood through the lungs or analogous organs, as gills; strangle.

2. to impede the respiration of.

3. to discomfort by a lack of fresh or cool air.

4. to overcome or extinguish; suppress.

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verb (used without object)

suffocated, suffocating

1. to become suffocated; stifle; smother.

2. to be uncomfortable due to a lack of fresh or cool air.

suffocate British  

/ ˈsʌfəˌkeɪt /

verb

1. to kill or be killed by the deprivation of oxygen, as by obstruction of the air passage or inhalation of noxious gases

2. to block the air passages or have the air passages blocked

3. to feel or cause to feel discomfort from heat and lack of air

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Other Word Forms

• suffocating adjective
• suffocatingly adverb
• suffocation noun
• suffocative adjective
• unsuffocated adjective
• unsuffocative adjective

Etymology

Origin of suffocate

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin suffōcātus (past participle of suffōcāre “to choke, stifle”), equivalent to suf- suf- + -fōc- (combining form of fauc-, stem of faucēs “throat”) + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

When you suffocate, you struggle for breath, either because you’re being choked to death or because you’re in a stifling room. You can also suffocate in a figurative sense anytime something is restricted. Suffocate can also mean to die from lack of oxygen. If you’re a miner who gets trapped in a collapsed mine, you'll likely suffocate. Less seriously, if the ventilation system is turned off in your school, you might feel as though you'll suffocate. And if your art teacher insists that you produce Dadaist paintings, you may feel that she's trying to suffocate your talent.

Example Sentences

Mali imported Russia’s Wagner mercenaries in 2022, in a failed attempt to swiftly suffocate the local Islamist insurgency that has since emerged as al Qaeda’s most successful and resilient offshoot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

“Take advantage of the time you have ahead of you to understand risk better. Don’t suffocate your portfolio” by allocating too much for income-based investments.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

He produced three glorious passing shots - two off the backhand and one off the forehand - and moved well behind the baseline to suffocate Durasovic.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

Their breath was believed to poison the air and suffocate the land, especially in swampy regions where disease was common.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026

If I took my eyes from them, the walls of our room crept closer and closer to me until I thought I would suffocate.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan

Related Words

• asphyxiate
• drown
• smother
• stifle
• strangle