as in strangling
to cause (someone) to stop breathing and often to become unconscious and die
The murder victim was asphyxiated.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asphyxiating
Verb
-
At his hearing Tuesday, Adams admitted strangling Murray himself.—
William Morris,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026 -
His criminal history included convictions for robbery, kidnapping and attempting to kill a corrections officer by strangling him.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Those that don’t will continue drowning in data while feeling increasingly blind.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The body horror depicted in the 11-episode first season is a sight to behold, from botched facelifts to the varied beauty births, the season is drowning in blood, guts, vomit and an abundance of other unseemly bodily fluids.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Asphyxiating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asphyxiating. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
