Suffocate - Definition

v 1: 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" [syn: smother, asphyxiate, suffocate]
2: impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of;
"The foul air was slowly suffocating the children" [syn:
suffocate, stifle, asphyxiate, choke]
3: become stultified, suppressed, or stifled; "He is suffocating
--living at home with his aged parents in the small village"
[syn: suffocate, choke]
4: suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of; "His
job suffocated him" [syn: suffocate, choke]
5: be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child
suffocated under the pillow" [syn: suffocate, stifle,
asphyxiate]
6: feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air; "The room was hot
and stuffy and we were suffocating"
7: struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake; "he
swallowed a fishbone and gagged" [syn: gag, choke,
strangle, suffocate]