"suffocate" in the verb sense

1. smother, asphyxiate, suffocate

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. suffocate, stifle, asphyxiate, choke

impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of

"The foul air was slowly suffocating the children"

3. suffocate, choke

become stultified, suppressed, or stifled

"He is suffocating

4. suffocate, choke

suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of

"His job suffocated him"

5. suffocate, stifle, asphyxiate

be asphyxiated die from lack of oxygen

"The child suffocated under the pillow"

6. suffocate

feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air

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

7. gag, choke, strangle, suffocate

struggle for breath have insufficient oxygen intake

"he swallowed a fishbone and gagged"

Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)

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