Meaning & Definition of Suffocate in English

1. 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"

2. Impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of

• "The foul air was slowly suffocating the children"

3. Become stultified, suppressed, or stifled

• "He is suffocating--living at home with his aged parents in the small village"

4. Suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of

• "His job suffocated him"

5. Be asphyxiated

• Die from lack of oxygen

• "The child suffocated under the pillow"

6. Feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air

• "The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating"

7. Struggle for breath

• Have insufficient oxygen intake

• "He swallowed a fishbone and gagged"