"suffocates" 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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