suffocate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
suffocates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
suffocated,
past participle, past
-
suffocating
present participle
verb
-
to kill or be killed by the deprivation of oxygen, as by obstruction of the air passage or inhalation of noxious gases
-
to block the air passages or have the air passages blocked
-
to feel or cause to feel discomfort from heat and lack of air
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
suffocationnoun
-
suffocatingadjective
-
suffocativeadjective
-
unsuffocatedadjective
-
unsuffocativeadjective
-
suffocatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
suffocatesimple
-
suffocatessimple
-
have suffocatedperfect
-
has suffocatedperfect
-
am suffocatingprogressive
-
are suffocatingprogressive
-
is suffocatingprogressive
-
have been suffocatingperfect progressive
-
has been suffocatingperfect progressive
Past
-
suffocatedsimple
-
had suffocatedperfect
-
was suffocatingprogressive
-
were suffocatingprogressive
-
had been suffocatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing suffocate
"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Out of the Dust
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“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
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
A completely overhauled defense learned to suffocate opposing offenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
Ten of the Spanish squad in Switzerland are Barcelona players so the way they play is very similar - out of possession they want to suffocate you.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2025
The outside air presses around me like a pillow meant to suffocate me.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
"She has heart disease. Sometimes she suffocates and turns blue. She can't continue living in a tent."
From BBC ● May 20, 2025
However, if there is too much calcium, the mitochondrial processes become unbalanced and the cell suffocates.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 29, 2024
As Spain suffocates under high temperatures, ice on its mountains is melting.
From Reuters ● Aug. 9, 2023
In Los Angeles County alone, a baby suffocates nearly every week while sleeping, according to the infant safe sleep campaign from the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
This atmosphere of carbolic and gangrene clogs the lungs, it is a thick gruel, it suffocates.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
She said one of her babies went blue and almost suffocated when she tried to breastfeed her.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
"It speaks about inner fears, self-doubt, and the feeling of being emotionally suffocated by our own expectations. It was never intended to represent anything sexual."
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
India has also received three shipments of crude oil from Iran, according to a local Iranian diplomatic mission—the first such transfers in years after sanctions suffocated trade between the two countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
When the man was determined to have suffocated from gas and his body pulled out by a rope, Bonnag decided "no, I can't continue like this".
From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026
I felt kind of suffocated by his T-shirt, but it felt good to be held so hard, pressed into the comfortable smell of my dad.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
The conception of the role, marked by a dim view of stardom’s suffocating alienation, was something Jolie clearly understood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
It also places additional strains on infrastructure; Yes campaign posters depict suffocating traffic jams and apartment blocks rising over pristine villages and fields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
But suffocating conditions should be an advantage to a side that plays home games in Tarija, 6,000 feet above sea level, and in the city in the sky that is El Alto at 13,600 feet.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
Some said they couldn't find work, while others saw their income dry up after the authorities restricted the internet when the war started, suffocating industries and workers that relied on connecting to the global web.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
On that suffocating noontime when the gypsy revealed his secrets, José Arcadio Buendía had the certainty that it was the beginning of a great friendship.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
