suffocate
/ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ verb C2- To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body. · Open the hatch, he is suffocating in the airlock!
- To 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.
- To overwhelm, or be overwhelmed (by a person or issue), as though with oxygen deprivation. · I'm suffocating under this huge workload.
- To destroy; to extinguish. · to suffocate fire
He/she/it suffocates · Past suffocated · Past participle suffocated · -ing form suffocating
Verb forms
- Base form
- suffocate
- He/she/it
- suffocates
- Past
- suffocated
- Past participle
- suffocated
- -ing form
- suffocating
From the library
Just then the sound of finger-nails slightly grating against the door of the library informed Valentine that the count was still watching, and recommended her to do the same; at the same time, on the opposite side, that is towards Edward’s room, Valentine fancied that she heard the creaking of the floor; she listened attentively, holding her breath till she was nearly suffocated; the lock turned, and the door slowly opened.
The unhappy Mouse was soon suffocated by the water, and his dead body floated about on the surface, tied to the foot of the Frog.
Villefort, suffocating, pressed the doctor’s arm.
Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey that they could not use their wings, nor release themselves, and were suffocated.
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