1
as in to strangle
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
the law requires the owner of a discarded refrigerator to remove its door so that a child won't get trapped inside and suffocate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suffocate
Authorities say that the night before, New Year’s Eve 2020, Janks, then 36, drugged Merriman with pain and sleeping pills before fatally suffocating him.
—
Liam Quinn, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
Even with Heat star Jimmy Butler serving the second game of his seven-game suspension, the Heat’s defense was suffocating through three quarters.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025
The girl was a neighbor at his Purcell apartment complex who Underwood admitted to luring into his apartment and beating her over the head with a cutting board before suffocating her to death.
—CBS News, 13 Dec. 2024
Vazquez then allegedly confessed to suffocating Lucia with a bedsheet.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for suffocate 
Liam Quinn, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
Even with Heat star Jimmy Butler serving the second game of his seven-game suspension, the Heat’s defense was suffocating through three quarters.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025
The girl was a neighbor at his Purcell apartment complex who Underwood admitted to luring into his apartment and beating her over the head with a cutting board before suffocating her to death.
—CBS News, 13 Dec. 2024
Vazquez then allegedly confessed to suffocating Lucia with a bedsheet.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for suffocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocate
Verb
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Police say Ceja-Ramirez was found strangled, with her body partially burned.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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Putin is strangling his own nation with inflation approaching Weimar Germany’s collapse.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
TIME,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Ange Postecoglou has a habit of choking on bread and butter, but Europe is keeping him sane.—
Phil Hay,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
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Authorities said Smith also tried to choke the officer, who used pepper spray to force the inmate to retreat into his cell.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Vomiting: Consuming excessive amounts of Delta-8 can trigger nausea and vomiting by overstimulating nausea-regulating brain areas.—
Rowan Briggs,
The Mercury News,
17 Jan. 2025
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If inhaled or ingested, benzene can lead to nausea and vomiting in the short term and may cause cancer over time.—
Hiroko Tabuchi,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Now that his presidency has ended and the conservative right is back at the helm, what does that mean for student loan borrowers that are drowning in debt? Dr. Sonia Lewis, founder of student loan debt consultancy The Student Loan Doctor, says that now is the time to get informed…and quickly.—
Jasmine Browley,
Essence,
17 Jan. 2025
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But the halfway treatment in this case feels like keeping the bath water and drowning the baby.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Whereas United smothered City at the Etihad and took the game to them, on Wednesday at Leigh Sports Village — where the atmosphere was flat — the hosts sat off City, an aspect noted by visiting manager Gareth Taylor.—
Charlotte Harpur,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
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So not counting out the Rams, but Philadelphia just has so many ways to beat you, and that Eagles defense is smothering.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near suffocate
Cite this Entry
“Suffocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocate. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
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