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 suffocated
-
past perfectof suffocate.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
For McCorry, the damage didn’t become fully clear until after the flood, when it became apparent how many of his pistachio trees had suffocated and were now sick or dead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
They belonged to 50-year-old Stephen Whinfrey, a lifelong rabbit hunter who had suffocated to death after getting stuck in the hole the previous day.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2021
Well, a reasonable person would question whether their headgear had suffocated their sensibilities.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 9, 2018
Citing a ruling from the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Ocean City police said in a statement Wednesday that Ashley O’Connor, of Plano, Tex., who was found buried in the sand, had suffocated.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 2, 2017
There would be a couple of knights who had suffocated themselves in their own helms during the course of a battle, a misfortune which frequently happened in those days of violent exercise and small vents.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
