1
as in to strangle
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
the law requires the owner of a discarded refrigerator to remove its door so that a child won't get trapped inside and suffocate
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2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suffocate
Melissa Towne is accused of cutting her daughter Nichole Bradshaw-Towne's throat before suffocating her with a trash bag at a park in Harris County, Texas, in October 2022, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at the time.
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Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
In each case, an entire research culture was starved by censorship and suffocated by unrelenting suspicion, surveillance, and threat of arrest or worse.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Catholic priest Maximilian Kolbe (Polish actor Marcin Kwaśny) volunteers to die in place of another prisoner, joining nine others condemned by the Nazis, and urges hope and resistance through faith inside the suffocating cell.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
When oxygen can’t attach, red blood cells don’t transport it around the body, effectively suffocating the organs.
—Sara Novak, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
In each case, an entire research culture was starved by censorship and suffocated by unrelenting suspicion, surveillance, and threat of arrest or worse.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Catholic priest Maximilian Kolbe (Polish actor Marcin Kwaśny) volunteers to die in place of another prisoner, joining nine others condemned by the Nazis, and urges hope and resistance through faith inside the suffocating cell.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
When oxygen can’t attach, red blood cells don’t transport it around the body, effectively suffocating the organs.
—Sara Novak, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suffocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocate
Verb
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Miner was tied up, beaten, strangled and stabbed.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Sep. 2025
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Even the most strident neighborhood defenders agree that California is being strangled by a severe housing crisis.—
Stan Oklobdzija,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To avoid choking hazards, the researchers recommend pureeing blueberries for younger infants and mashing or cutting them into small pieces for older babies and toddlers.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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That December, Cilivea Thyrion, 20, choked to death on an adult diaper while housed in a special needs pod.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Daily beatings that left people in wheelchairs, with broken teeth, and vomiting blood.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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Then, early in the morning of February 18, Chernyak began having seizures and vomiting in his bunk bed.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There’s a risk of the children drowning in the pool or being bitten by spiders; there’s the danger of a brush fire on the nearby hillside; and more.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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That matters because SOCs are drowning in noise and budget strain from log ingestion.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Both of the Ichabods’ touchdowns in this game came on screen passes, which was easily the most effective way Washburn attacked an otherwise smothering defense.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
14 Sep. 2025
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From start to finish, Colleyville seemed to smother The Colony, on both sides of the ball.—
Chris Winters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suffocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocate. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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