suffocate

intransitive-verb
UK: /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/
US: /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/

  1. To die because you cannot breathe

    1. He will suffocate in space without a suit.
    2. The miners nearly suffocated from the lack of oxygen after the explosion.

  2. To feel trapped and oppressed, either physically or emotionally

    1. Don't suffocate me with your demands.
    2. The heavy workload at the office began to suffocate her creativity and passion.

Synonyms

stifle asphyxiate suppress choke smother
suffocate transitive-verb

  1. To kill someone by stopping them from breathing

    1. The pillow will suffocate the baby.
    2. The dense smoke threatened to suffocate the trapped firefighters in the burning building.

  2. To prevent the development or expression of something

    1. Regulations suffocate new businesses.
    2. The strict rules in the company seemed to suffocate any innovative ideas from the employees.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "suffocate" in English means: To die because you cannot breathe, To feel trapped and oppressed, either physically or emotionally.

The phonetic transcription of "suffocate" is /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ in British English and /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "suffocate": stifle, asphyxiate, suppress, choke, smother.

Example usage of "suffocate": "He will suffocate in space without a suit.". More examples on the page.