a. | 1. | Suffocated; choked. |
v. t. | 1. | To choke or kill by stopping respiration; to stifle; to smother. |
2. | To destroy; to extinguish; | |
v. i. | 1. | To become choked, stifled, or smothered. |
Verb | 1. | suffocate - deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing; "Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow"; "The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor" Synonyms: asphyxiate, smother |
2. | suffocate - impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of; "The foul air was slowly suffocating the children" | |
3. | suffocate - become stultified, suppressed, or stifled; "He is suffocating--living at home with his aged parents in the small village" Synonyms: choke | |
4. | suffocate - suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of; "His job suffocated him" Synonyms: choke | |
5. | suffocate - be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child suffocated under the pillow" Synonyms: asphyxiate, stifle | |
6. | suffocate - feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air; "The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating" | |
7. | suffocate - struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake; "he swallowed a fishbone and gagged" |