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.
had been suffocating
-
past perfect progressiveof suffocate.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Kentucky, whose defense had been suffocating all season, showed that while it remains the favorite to win the national title, it could find itself in trouble if front-court stars encounter foul trouble again.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2012
From the moment of the scene with Nikolay at Porfiry's he had been suffocating, penned in without hope of escape.
From Crime and Punishment by Constance Garnett
"Yes," she gasped out, as if the word had been suffocating her.
From I Saw Three Ships and Other Winter Tales by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The doctor had certainly not tried to make his proposition very attractive, and yet she felt as if she were emerging 276 from deep waters in which she had been suffocating.
From The Peace of Roaring River by W. H. D. (William Henry Dethlef) Koerner
From early morning, from the time they had been led into court, he had been suffocating from an intolerable palpitation of his heart.
From The Seven Who Were Hanged by Herman Bernstein
