suffocate
Americanverb (used with object)
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suffocates,
present (3rd person singular)
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suffocated,
past participle, past
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suffocating
present participle
verb
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to kill or be killed by the deprivation of oxygen, as by obstruction of the air passage or inhalation of noxious gases
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to block the air passages or have the air passages blocked
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to feel or cause to feel discomfort from heat and lack of air
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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suffocationnoun
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suffocatingadjective
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suffocativeadjective
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unsuffocatedadjective
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unsuffocativeadjective
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suffocatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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suffocatesimple
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suffocatessimple
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have suffocatedperfect
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has suffocatedperfect
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am suffocatingprogressive
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are suffocatingprogressive
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is suffocatingprogressive
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have been suffocatingperfect progressive
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has been suffocatingperfect progressive
Past
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suffocatedsimple
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had suffocatedperfect
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was suffocatingprogressive
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were suffocatingprogressive
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had been suffocatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suffocate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin suffōcātus (past participle of suffōcāre “to choke, stifle”), equivalent to suf- suf- + -fōc- (combining form of fauc-, stem of faucēs “throat”) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you suffocate, you struggle for breath, either because you’re being choked to death or because you’re in a stifling room. You can also suffocate in a figurative sense anytime something is restricted. Suffocate can also mean to die from lack of oxygen. If you’re a miner who gets trapped in a collapsed mine, you'll likely suffocate. Less seriously, if the ventilation system is turned off in your school, you might feel as though you'll suffocate. And if your art teacher insists that you produce Dadaist paintings, you may feel that she's trying to suffocate your talent.
Vocabulary lists containing suffocate
"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Out of the Dust
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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.
See Examples For:
“Take advantage of the time you have ahead of you to understand risk better. Don’t suffocate your portfolio” by allocating too much for income-based investments.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 26, 2026
He produced three glorious passing shots - two off the backhand and one off the forehand - and moved well behind the baseline to suffocate Durasovic.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026
Their breath was believed to poison the air and suffocate the land, especially in swampy regions where disease was common.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 2, 2026
A completely overhauled defense learned to suffocate opposing offenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
Tension spreads out like a thick blanket ready to suffocate us all.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
In mixing the cerebral with the sensual, Eusexua mostly succeeds – but occasionally the precision of Twigs' vision suffocates the spontaneity she was aiming for.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
However, if there is too much calcium, the mitochondrial processes become unbalanced and the cell suffocates.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 29, 2024
In Los Angeles County alone, a baby suffocates nearly every week while sleeping, according to the infant safe sleep campaign from the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
"The increase in the cost of living suffocates workers and jeopardises the well-being and comfort of their families."
From Reuters ● Mar. 17, 2023
This atmosphere of carbolic and gangrene clogs the lungs, it is a thick gruel, it suffocates.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
And in what was Liverpool's best half of the tour, Isak looked sharp and Wirtz scored as they suffocated Leeds with their press and moved the ball around with confidence.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
She said one of her babies went blue and almost suffocated when she tried to breastfeed her.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
India has also received three shipments of crude oil from Iran, according to a local Iranian diplomatic mission—the first such transfers in years after sanctions suffocated trade between the two countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
“The worst part was I almost suffocated when the dress went over my head. I was like, ‘This could be problematic.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
Is it true that classical music has been slowly suffocated in its sleep over the past hundred years?
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
The conception of the role, marked by a dim view of stardom’s suffocating alienation, was something Jolie clearly understood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
His high-press, suffocating style was once revolutionary but is now firmly in the mainstream.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
It also places additional strains on infrastructure; Yes campaign posters depict suffocating traffic jams and apartment blocks rising over pristine villages and fields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Some said they couldn't find work, while others saw their income dry up after the authorities restricted the internet when the war started, suffocating industries and workers that relied on connecting to the global web.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
The air in Lagos was humid; standing next to Madu, it seemed suffocating.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
