noun ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Asphyxia—a condition in which an extreme decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the body accompanied by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide leads to loss of consciousness or death. uncountable

   "A child left unattended may die of suffocation."

2. 2
   killing by depriving of oxygen wordnet
3. 3
   A particular act of death or killing by means of asphyxia. countable

   "The coroner reported three suffocations last week."

4. 4
   the condition of being deprived of oxygen (as by having breathing stopped) wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

asphyxiaabolishmentabolitionannihilationannulmentasphyxia

Example

More examples

"Warning! Risk of suffocation. To avoid danger don't keep it near babies."

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English suffocation, suffocacioun, from Middle French suffocation, from Latin suffocatio.

Related phrases

suffocation mate

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.