Definition Definition

suffocate - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'suffocate' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Suffocate [ a.]
- Suffocated; choked.
2 . Suffocate [ v. i.]
- To become choked, stifled, or smothered.
3 . Suffocate [ v. t.]
- To choke or kill by stopping respiration; to stifle; to smother.
- To destroy; to extinguish; as, to suffocate fire.

Meaning of 'suffocate' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . suffocate [ v]
Meaning (1):
- become stultified, suppressed, or stifled
Example in sentence:
  • He is suffocating--living at home with his aged parents in the small village
Meaning (2):
- struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake
Example in sentence:
  • he swallowed a fishbone and gagged
Meaning (3):
- suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of
Example in sentence:
  • His job suffocated him
Meaning (4):
- deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
Example in sentence:
  • Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow;
  • The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor
Meaning (5):
- be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen
Example in sentence:
  • The child suffocated under the pillow
Meaning (6):
- impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
Example in sentence:
  • The foul air was slowly suffocating the children
Meaning (7):
- feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air
Example in sentence:
  • The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating