SUFFOCATE Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

suffocate

verb

ˈsə-fə-ˌkāt

Definition of suffocate

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

as in to choke

to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe temporarily suffocated by the seat belt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to vomit

to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe suffocating in the thick, black smoke of the burning building

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of suffocate Irish authorities are reportedly seeking a warrant to extradite the primary suspect in the brutal murder of Jamey Carney, a 43-year-old New York mother found beaten and suffocated in her Killarney home last month. — Louis Casiano , Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Together, these effects have set the stage for the fierce summers, destructive wildfires, and suffocating heat domes that now threaten Europe’s health, culture, and economy. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 The trial of a man who admitted to suffocating his estranged wife and her two young daughters with a plastic bag more than a decade ago began Monday morning with jury selection. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2026 Even then, the simple existence of such an offshore economy doesn’t necessarily explain how American oligarchs’ wealth drove to suffocating heights. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suffocate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffocate

Verb

Prosecutors allege Clancy planned the killings by sending her husband to pick up takeout food and medicine, then, while he was gone, strangled the children with exercise bands.

— Melina Khan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Her body was discovered by children and had stab wounds, severe head injuries and injuries consistent with strangling.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of strangle

Verb

Almost constant air raids in Kyiv have now reached their third day, choking the economy in the Ukrainian capital and severely disrupting civilian life more than 4½ years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Both victims were illegally choked to death by white police officers.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of choke

Verb

The people who genuinely benefit are those vomiting or experiencing diarrhoea badly enough to be dehydrated.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
On the night of the reprieve, Owen, cut loose for the evening by his girlfriend, who wants to canoodle with a neighbor, vomits in the vicinity of Allie’s high heels, in what might be called a meet-boot.

— Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of vomit

Verb

Deputies riding Sea-Doos on July 18 rescued three swimmers not wearing life jackets who were close to drowning on Petite Lake in unincorporated Lake Villa.

— Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
The turbine room could have filled with water if the emergency shutdown systems failed, potentially drowning anyone inside.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of drown

Browse Nearby Words

sufficing

suffocate

suffocated

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Style

“Suffocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffocate. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of suffocate

verb

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