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.
suffocating
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present participleof suffocate.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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a word derived from
suffocate.
suffocateverb (used with object)to kill by preventing the access of air to the blood through the lungs or analogous organs, as gills; strangle.
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.
Indonesia has been battling fires for weeks in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, sending suffocating haze across the islands and neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
A franchise that used to cycle through mostly forgettable quarterbacks and relied on suffocating defense now hopes to win a Super Bowl by betting that its budding star can outscore just about anyone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
And maybe it was the focus-sapping heat, but USC’s defense wasn’t as stifling, not as suffocating it should have been against an opponent as hopelessly overmatched as San José State.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
His high-press, suffocating style was once revolutionary but is now firmly in the mainstream.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
In the suffocating cabin, maddened by the vibration of the metal plates and the unbearable stench of the mud stirred up by the paddle wheel, Meme lost track of the days.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
