as in close
lacking fresh air
inside the bunker it was suffocating, and some of the men had already passed out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in strangling
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in choking
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe
temporarily suffocated by the seat belt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vomiting
to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe
suffocating in the thick, black smoke of the burning building
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suffocating
Peter Bart, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
Doors and windows were locked, producing a suffocating effect in the hot weather.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The Broncos went 15-4 last year, testing the expiration dates on miracle finishes, while suffocating opponents with a relentless defense.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for suffocating
Adjective
Its suffocating Puritanic culture is suddenly rocked by an exhilarating theater movement fostering the likes of Tamburlaine and Doctor Faustus, but also by an underground of intrigue and dissent that’s hatching schemes to blow up Parliament and extinguish royal rule.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
Doors and windows were locked, producing a suffocating effect in the hot weather.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Buffalo’s forecheck was suffocating.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The Broncos went 15-4 last year, testing the expiration dates on miracle finishes, while suffocating opponents with a relentless defense.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for suffocating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocating
Adjective
-
Then, style it with jeans to hit the town for drinks with your closest friends.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
-
Here, over a dozen or so hammocks hang from palm trees, swaying just over the water, close enough to dip your toes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Luis Benitez-Gonzalez, a 26-year-old previously deported Mexican national, is accused of strangling two women in the area of Austin, Texas, in 2018 and 2024.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
Gaff allegedly assaulted and raped Vesey before fatally strangling her.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The vast majority of people in Pompeii and Herculaneum—the cities hardest hit—perished from asphyxiation, choking on the thick clouds of noxious gas and ash.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
-
The agency is aware of 11 choking incidents, the notice states.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Clarke recalled crawling to the bathroom and vomiting from the pain before realizing something was seriously wrong.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Coco Gauff has advanced to the fourth round of the Madrid Open despite falling ill and vomiting on court.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For all the deserved talk about the Knicks’ dynamic offense, the defense has been far more stifling than their reputation suggests.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Her mother, who had a staid upbringing in California, came to New York in the early sixties looking for someplace more diverse and less stifling.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There’s probably a smart, chilling film to be made about the terrors of smothering and relentless adoration — one imagines what Rod Serling would have done with something like this — but this isn’t really that film.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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More recently, massive desalination plants, which often double as electric power plants, have been dumping hot brine that rapidly sinks, smothering life at the Gulf’s bottom, Riegl says.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
One breathless Iranian pensioner explained how the essential product is now six times more expensive in Iran than in Turkey, amid a spiraling cost-of-living crisis that shows no sign of easing.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
-
Everyone in town seems to have a breathless story about their own eagle encounters.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
The folks at the YMCA of Metro Denver believe that drowning deaths are completely preventable.—
Libby Smith,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
An autopsy later determined that Perry died from acute effects of ketamine, as well as other contributing factors such as drowning, coronary artery disease and effects from buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suffocating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocating. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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