asphyxiate
verb
as·phyx·i·ate
as-ˈfik-sē-ˌāt 
əs-
asphyxiated; asphyxiating
: to cause asphyxia in : to kill, suspend animation in, or make unconscious through want of adequate oxygen, presence of noxious agents, or other obstruction to normal breathing
The murder victim was asphyxiated.
: to become asphyxiated
… ended in several deaths, including that of a … secretary who asphyxiated during a smoke bombing.—
Robert I. Friedman
Robert I. FriedmanExamples of asphyxiate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There, his world is both opened up and asphyxiated.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
But the indictment returned by a Georgia grand jury in May detailed a gruesome confrontation in which Ibarra allegedly asphyxiated the student, hit her over the head with a rock to the point of disfiguring her skull, and pulled up her clothing, intending to rape her.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2024
She was struck in the head with a rock several times and asphyxiated, according to court documents.
—Nicole Chavez, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
Both men asphyxiated from a toxic concentration of hydrogen sulfide inside the hold, according to Danish maritime authorities.
—USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024
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Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
But the indictment returned by a Georgia grand jury in May detailed a gruesome confrontation in which Ibarra allegedly asphyxiated the student, hit her over the head with a rock to the point of disfiguring her skull, and pulled up her clothing, intending to rape her.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2024
She was struck in the head with a rock several times and asphyxiated, according to court documents.
—Nicole Chavez, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
Both men asphyxiated from a toxic concentration of hydrogen sulfide inside the hold, according to Danish maritime authorities.
—USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for asphyxiate
Dictionary Entries Near asphyxiate
Cite this Entry
“Asphyxiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asphyxiate. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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Medical Definition
asphyxiate
verb
as·phyx·i·ate
-sē-ˌāt
asphyxiated; asphyxiating
: to cause asphyxia in
also
: to kill or make unconscious through inadequate oxygen, presence of noxious agents, or other obstruction to normal breathing
: to become asphyxiated
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