suffocate
verb (used with object)
to kill by preventing the access of air to the blood through the lungs or analogous organs, as gills; strangle.
suffocating
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present participleof suffocate.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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a word derived from
suffocate.
suffocateverb (used with object)to kill by preventing the access of air to the blood through the lungs or analogous organs, as gills; strangle.
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.
Indonesia has been battling fires for weeks in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, sending suffocating haze across the islands and neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
A franchise that used to cycle through mostly forgettable quarterbacks and relied on suffocating defense now hopes to win a Super Bowl by betting that its budding star can outscore just about anyone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
He says his son should attack Garcia using suffocating, bobbing aggression - the kind that Nigel used to blow out Iran Barkley in 1990.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Scientists suspect that the combination of high heat and a suffocating deep-tropical air mass will be considered the worst humidity the region has experienced in the modern era.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The claustrophobic tunnels, foul air, suffocating darkness on all sides.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
