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

A coroner later recorded Mr Gough had died by asphyxiation.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

Avalanche rescue gear likely wouldn’t have saved lives in this incident, since they likely died from trauma rather than snow asphyxiation, the report noted.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 25, 2023

Dona Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart said she wasn’t immediately aware of the asphyxiation incident, but said another incident around the same time claimed the lives of two migrants.

From Washington Times • Jan. 30, 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