strangulation

noun

stran·​gu·​la·​tion ˌstraŋ-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: the action or process of strangling or strangulating

2

: the state of being strangled or strangulated

especially : excessive or pathological constriction or compression of a bodily tube (such as a blood vessel or a loop of intestine) that interrupts its ability to act as a passage

Examples of strangulation in a Sentence

The cause of death was strangulation.

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2020, there were 3,400 sudden unexpected infant deaths in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including babies who died from accidental suffocation or strangulation; nearly half, about 1,389, were classified as SIDS. —Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024

An autopsy revealed the cause of death as strangulation and was ruled a homicide. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2024

The new law was inspired following the death of a trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College, wo was found dead with injuries indicating rape and strangulation in a seminar room in the hospital on Aug. 9. —Trisha Mukherjee, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2024

In 2023, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a new guideline that window covering cords must be shorter than eight inches, as longer cords have posed a strangulation threat to children for decades. —Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

strangulation

noun

stran·​gu·​la·​tion ˌstraŋ-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: an act or process of strangling

2

: the state of being strangled

Medical Definition

strangulation

noun

stran·​gu·​la·​tion ˌstraŋ-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: the action or process of strangling or strangulating

2

: the state of being strangled or strangulated

especially : excessive or pathological constriction or compression of a bodily tube (as a blood vessel or a loop of intestine) that interrupts its ability to act as a passage