suffocate
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suf·fo·cate
(sŭf′ə-kāt′)v. suf·fo·cat·ed, suf·fo·cat·ing, suf·fo·cates
v.tr.
1. To kill or destroy by preventing access of air or oxygen.
2. To impair the breathing of or cause discomfort to by cutting off the supply of fresh air.
3. To suppress the development, imagination, or creativity of; stifle: "The rigid formality of the place suffocated her" (William Makepeace Thackeray).
v.intr.
1. To die from lack of air or oxygen.
2. To feel discomfort from lack of fresh air.
3. To become or feel oppressed; be stifled.
[Latin suffōcāre, suffōcāt- : sub-, sub- + faucēs, throat.]
suf′fo·ca′ting·ly adv.
suf′fo·ca′tion n.
suf′fo·ca′tive adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
suffocate
(ˈsʌfəˌkeɪt)vb
1. (Pathology) to kill or be killed by the deprivation of oxygen, as by obstruction of the air passage or inhalation of noxious gases
2. (Pathology) to block the air passages or have the air passages blocked
3. (Pathology) to feel or cause to feel discomfort from heat and lack of air
[C16: from Latin suffōcāre, from sub- + faucēs throat]
ˈsuffoˌcating adj
ˈsuffoˌcatingly adv
ˌsuffoˈcation n
ˈsuffoˌcative adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
suf•fo•cate
(ˈsʌf əˌkeɪt)v. -cat•ed, -cat•ing. v.t.
1. to kill by preventing the access of air to the blood through the lungs or analogous organs, as gills; strangle.
2. to impede the respiration of.
3. to discomfort by a lack of fresh or cool air.
4. to smother or stifle; suppress: students suffocated by rigid discipline.
v.i. 5. to become suffocated; stifle; smother.
6. to be uncomfortable due to a lack of fresh or cool air.
[1520–30; < Latin suffōcātus, past participle of suffōcāre to choke, stifle =suf- suf- + -fōcāre, v. derivative of faucēs throat; see -ate1]
suf′fo•cat•ing•ly, adv.
suf`fo•ca′tion, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
suffocate
Past participle: suffocated
Gerund: suffocating
| Imperative |
|---|
| suffocate |
| suffocate |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| 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"asphyxiate, stifle, suffocate - be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child suffocated under the pillow" kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays" |
| 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" | |
| 4. | suffocate - suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of; "His job suffocated him" | |
| 5. |  suffocate - be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child suffocated under the pillow"croak, decease, die, drop dead, buy the farm, cash in one's chips, give-up the ghost, kick the bucket, pass away, perish, snuff it, pop off, expire, conk, exit, choke, go, pass - pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life; "She died from cancer"; "The children perished in the fire"; "The patient went peacefully"; "The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of 102" strangle - die from strangulation asphyxiate, suffocate, smother - 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" | |
| 6. | suffocate - feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air; "The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating" feel - be conscious of a physical, mental, or emotional state; "My cold is gone--I feel fine today"; "She felt tired after the long hike"; "She felt sad after her loss" | |
| 7. | suffocate - struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake; "he swallowed a fishbone and gagged" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
suffocate
verb
1. choke, stifle, smother, asphyxiate They were suffocated as they slept.
2. be choked, be stifled, be smothered, be asphyxiated He either suffocated, or froze to death.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
suffocate
verbTo stop the breathing of:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَخْنُقيَخْنُق، يَخْتَنِق
dusitudusit se
kvælekvæles
tukehtuatukehduttaa
gušiti
megfullad
kæfa; kafna
窒息する
질식하다
dusinimasuždusimas
noslāpētnoslāptsmacētsmakt
zadušiti se
kvävakvävas
หายใจไม่ออก
làm ngạt
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
suffocate
[ˈsʌfəkeɪt]Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
suffocate
vt (lit, fig) → ersticken; his obsessive jealousy/he is suffocating me → seine krankhafte Eifersucht/er erdrückt mich; he felt suffocated in that environment → er hatte das Gefühl, in dieser Umgebung zu ersticken; he was suffocated by the smoke → er erstickte am Rauch
vi (lit, fig) → ersticken
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
suffocate
(ˈsafəkeit) verb to kill, die, cause distress to or feel distress, through lack of air or the prevention of free breathing. A baby may suffocate if it sleeps with a pillow; The smoke was suffocating him; May I open the window? I'm suffocating.
ˌsuffoˈcation nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
suffocate
→ يَخْنُق udusit se kvæle ersticken ασφυκτιώ asfixiar tukehtua suffoquer gušiti soffocare 窒息する 질식하다 verstikken kvele zadławić się sufocar задыхаться kvävas หายใจไม่ออก boğmak làm ngạt 窒息Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
suf·fo·cate
vt. sofocar, asfixiar; faltar la respiración.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
suffocate
vt, vi asfixiar(se) (form), ahogar( se)English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.