asphyxiation

American  

[as-fik-see-ey-shuhn] / æsˌfɪk siˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a lack of oxygen and excess of carbon dioxide in the blood, caused by impaired respiration or insufficient oxygen in the air; suffocation.

   The cause of death was severe asphyxiation, apparently from smoke inhalation.

2. the condition of being stifled or suffocated.

   Peripheral countries, faced with economic asphyxiation, are being forced to sell access to their fishing banks for far less than they are worth.

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Etymology

Origin of asphyxiation

asphyxi(ate) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

Epibatidine, found in the Ecuadoran dart frog, causes muscle paralysis and eventual asphyxiation.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

And we scoop trillions of fish out of the water indiscriminately in large nets who are left to die slowly by asphyxiation.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2024

Egypt's health ministry has sent 50 ambulances and two military aircraft to the building, with at least 24 people being treated for asphyxiation along with two for burns.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2023

Gyselinck said “it’s fairly rare for climbers to carry avalanche transceivers” and noted the victims died of physical trauma, not snow asphyxiation.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2023

Nsia’s breath was labored; I feared she suffered from some asphyxiation, and went to tend to her; all her attention being fixed on the object behind me.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson