suffocate

S1U1F4F4O1C3A1T1E1
/ˈsʌfəkeɪt//ˈsʌfəkət/

verb

To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

“to suffocate fire”

Similar
asphyxiatechokestiflesmotherdrowngagstrangle
OriginMiddle English suffocat(e) ← Latin suffōcātus →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Word of the Day · Jan 11, 2022

Meanings

verbsuffocate (third-person singular simple present suffocates, present participle suffocating, simple past and past participle suffocated)

present singular third person suffocates · participle present suffocating · participle past suffocated · past suffocated

  1. ergativeTo suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

    Open the hatch, he is suffocating in the airlock!

    1 more example

    It is because of freedom, one netizen replied: Like air, you may not realize its importance, but when suffocating, you would know how precious it is.

    2020 November 2, Jiu Xiao, “Chinese Communist Party Officials Push Anti-U.S. Propaganda While Sending Families to Live in the U.S.”, in Minghui

    Synonyms: asphyxiate, choke

  2. ergativeTo die due to, or kill someone by means of, insufficient oxygen supply to the body.

    He suffocated his wife by holding a pillow over her head.

    1 more example

    Let not hemp his windpipe suffocate.

    1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi]

    Synonyms: stifle, choke, asphyxiate, choke, smother

  3. ergativefigurativelyTo overwhelm, or be overwhelmed (by a person or issue), as though with oxygen deprivation.

    I'm suffocating under this huge workload.

    1 more example

    If the trend to private cars continues, the more quickly will the road traffic suffocate itself, [...].

    1962 April, “London Airport rail link”, in Modern Railways, page 222

    Synonyms: drown, asphyxiate, choke, stifle

  4. transitiveTo destroy; to extinguish.

    to suffocate fire

adjectivesuffocate (comparative more suffocate, superlative most suffocate)

comparative more suffocate · superlative most suffocate

  1. obsoleteSuffocated, choked.
  2. obsoleteSmothered, overwhelmed.

    This chaos, when degree is suffocate, follows the choking

    c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

Similar
asphyxiatechoke

verbTo die due to, or kill someone by means of, insufficient oxygen supply to the body.

Similar
stiflechokeasphyxiatechokesmother

verbTo overwhelm, or be overwhelmed (by a person or issue), as though with oxygen deprivation.

Similar
drownasphyxiatechokestifle

More synonyms by meaning

verbdeprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing

Similar
smotherasphyxiatestifle
Broader
kill

verbimpair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of

Similar
stifleasphyxiatechoke
Broader
obstructobturateimpede

verbbecome stultified, suppressed, or stifled

Similar
choke
Broader
becometurn

verbsuppress the development, creativity, or imagination of

Similar
choke
Broader
stifledampen

verbbe asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen

Similar
stifleasphyxiatesmother
Broader
diedeceaseperish

verbstruggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake

Similar
gagchokestrangle
Broader
sufferhurtache
Also see
asphyxiatechokegagsmotherstiflestrangle

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinsuffōcō
  2. Latinsuffōcātus
  3. Middle Englishsuffocat(e)“deprived of air, suffocated”
  4. Englishsuffocate

The adjective is first attested in the 1420s, the verb in 1526; from Middle English suffocat(e) (“deprived of air, suffocated”), borrowed from Latin suffōcātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin suffōcō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from sub- (“under, up to”) + fōx (“throat”, oblique stem in fōc-). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.

More words from Middle English, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic خَنَقَ, اِخْتَنَقَ
  • خَنَقَ (ḵanaqa)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • اِخْتَنَقَ (iḵtanaqa)(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
Bulgarian задуша́вам се, задуша́ се
  • задуша́вам се (zadušávam se)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • задуша́ се (zadušá se)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • задъ́хвам се (zadắhvam se)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • задъ́хам се (zadắham se)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • задуша́вам (zadušávam)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • задуша́ (zadušá)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • уду́швам (udúšvam)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • задушавам се (zadušavam se)(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • задуша́вам (zadušávam)(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
  • задуша́ (zadušá)(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
  • уду́швам (udúšvam)(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Catalan ofegar sufocar, ofegar-se
  • ofegar sufocar(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • ofegar-se(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • ofegar(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Chinese Mandarin 窒息, 使窒息
  • 窒息 (zhìxī)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • 使窒息 (shǐ zhìxī)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
Czech dusit se, udusit se
  • dusit se(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • udusit se(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • dusit(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • udusit(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • zadusit(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • dusit se(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • udusit se(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • dusit(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
  • udusit(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
  • zadusit(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Danish kvæles, kvæle
  • kvæles(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • kvæle(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • kvæles(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • kvæle(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Esperanto sufokiĝi, sufoki
  • sufokiĝi(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • sufoki(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
Finnish tukehtua, tukehduttaa
  • tukehtua(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • tukehduttaa(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • tukehtua(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • tukehduttaa(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
French suffoquer, étouffer
  • suffoquer(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • étouffer(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • suffoquer(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
German ersticken, ersticken
  • ersticken(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • ersticken(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • würgen(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • ersticken(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • ersticken(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Hebrew נחנק, חנק
  • נחנק(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • חנק(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • נחנק(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • חנק(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Hungarian fuldoklik, fullad
  • fuldoklik(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • fullad(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • megfullad(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • megfojt(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Icelandic kafna
  • kafna(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
Irish plúch, plúch
  • plúch(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • plúch(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Japanese 窒息する, 窒息させる
  • 窒息する (chissoku suru)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • 窒息させる (chissoku saseru)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
Korean 질식하다, 질식시키다
  • 질식하다 (jilsikhada)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • 질식시키다 (jilsiksikida)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
Latin suffōcor, suffōcō
  • suffōcor(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • suffōcō(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
Lithuanian uždusti, uždusinti
  • uždusti(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • uždusinti(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • uždusti(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
Norwegian kjøvast, kjøva
  • kjøvast(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • kjøva(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
Norwegian Bokmål kveles
  • kveles(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
Persian خفه شدن
  • خفه شدن (xafe šodan)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
Polish dusić się, udusić się
  • dusić się(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • udusić się(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • dusić(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • udusić(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • dusić(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Portuguese sufocar, sufocar
  • sufocar(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • sufocar(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • sufocar(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • sufocar(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Russian задыха́ться, задохну́ться
  • задыха́ться (zadyxátʹsja)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • задохну́ться (zadoxnútʹsja)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • души́ть (dušítʹ)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • задуши́ть (zadušítʹ)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • удуши́ть (udušítʹ)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • задыха́ться (zadyxátʹsja)(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • задохну́ться (zadoxnútʹsja)(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • души́ть (dušítʹ)(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
  • задуши́ть (zadušítʹ)(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
  • удуши́ть (udušítʹ)(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Slovak dusiť sa, udusiť sa
  • dusiť sa(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • udusiť sa(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • dusiť(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • udusiť(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • zadusiť(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • Slovak podusiť(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
Spanish sofocarse, sofocar
  • sofocarse(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • sofocar(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • sofocarse(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • sofocar(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Swedish kvävas, kväva
  • kvävas(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • kväva(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • kvävas(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • kväva(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Ukrainian задиха́тися, задихну́тися
  • задиха́тися (zadyxátysja)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • задихну́тися (zadyxnútysja)(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • души́ти (dušýty)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • задуши́ти (zadušýty)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • удуши́ти (udušýty)(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body
  • задиха́тися (zadyxátysja)(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • задихну́тися (zadyxnútysja)(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • души́ти (dušýty)(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
  • задуши́ти (zadušýty)(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
  • удуши́ти (udušýty)(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake
Vietnamese ngạt, ngạt thở
  • ngạt(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • ngạt thở(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • ngộp(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • ngộp thở(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body
  • chết ngạt(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
  • chết ngộp(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body
Cite this entry
APA

suffocate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/suffocate

MLA

“suffocate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/suffocate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “suffocate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/suffocate.

Source: suffocate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.