suffocate

English

Etymology

From Latin suffōcāre, from sub- (“under, up to”) + fōx (“throat”).

Pronunciation

• (verb) IPA^(key): /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (adjective) IPA^(key): /ˈsʌfəkət/

Verb

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

1. (ergative) To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

   Open the hatch, he is suffocating in the airlock!

   • 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^[1]:

     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.

2. (ergative) 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.

   • 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]:

     Let not hemp his windpipe suffocate.

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

   I'm suffocating under this huge workload.

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

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

4. (transitive) To destroy; to extinguish.

   to suffocate fire

Synonyms

• (To suffer from reduced oxygen): asphyxiate, choke
• (To die from insufficient oxygen): stifle, choke
• (To be overwhelmed): drown
• (To reduce oxygen supply): asphyxiate, choke, smother
• (To kill by deprivation of oxygen): asphyxiate, choke, stifle
• (To make weary with contact): smother

Derived terms

• smothercate
• suffocation

Related terms

• asphyxia

Translations

(intransitive) to suffer from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body

• Belarusian: затыха́цца impf (zatyxácca), зато́хнуцца pf (zatóxnucca), затхну́цца pf (zatxnúcca)
• Bulgarian: задуша́вам се (bg) impf (zadušávam se), задуша́ се pf (zadušá se), задъ́хвам се impf (zadǎ́hvam se), задъ́хам се pf (zadǎ́ham se)
• Catalan: ofegar (ca) (there is sufocar (ca) but it applies only to fires)
• Cebuano: lumos
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 窒息 (zh) (zhìxī)

• Czech: dusit se (cs) impf, udusit se (cs) pf
• Danish: kvæles
• Esperanto: sufokiĝi
• Faroese: kódna
• Finnish: tukehtua (fi)
• French: suffoquer (fr)
• Galician: abafar (gl), sufocar, atafegar
• Hebrew: נחנק
• Higaonon: nalumos
• Hungarian: fuldoklik (hu), fullad (hu)
• Icelandic: kafna
• Japanese: 窒息する (ja) (ちっそくする, chissoku suru)
• Korean: 질식하다 (ko) (jilsikhada)
• Latin: suffōcor
• Lombard: soffegà (lmo), sofegar, stofegar (dialectal)
• Macedonian: се гуши impf (se guši), се души impf (se duši)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kveles

• Persian: خفه شدن (fa) (xafe šodan)
• Polish: dusić się (pl) impf, udusić się (pl) pf
• Portuguese: sufocar (pt)
• Quechua: hiq'ipay
• Russian: задыха́ться (ru) impf (zadyxátʹsja), задохну́ться (ru) pf (zadoxnútʹsja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: угуши́вати се impf, угу́шити се pf

  Roman: ugušívati se (sh) impf, ugúšiti se (sh) pf

• Slovak: dusiť sa impf, udusiť sa impf
• Slovene: dušiti se impf, zadušiti se pf
• Spanish: sofocar (es)
• Swedish: kvävas (sv)
• Tày: bắt, bỉ, ngằn, pư
• Ukrainian: задиха́тися impf (zadyxátysja), задихну́тися pf (zadyxnútysja)
• Vietnamese: ngạt (vi), ngạt thở, ngộp, ngộp thở

(intransitive) to die due to insufficient oxygen supply to the body

• Arabic: اِخْتَنَقَ (iḵtanaqa)

  Hijazi Arabic: انخنق (anḵanag)

• Belarusian: затыха́цца impf (zatyxácca), зато́хнуцца pf (zatóxnucca), затхну́цца pf (zatxnúcca)
• Bulgarian: задушавам се (zadušavam se)
• Catalan: ofegar-se (ca)
• Czech: dusit se (cs) impf, udusit se (cs) pf
• Danish: kvæles
• Finnish: tukehtua (fi)
• French: suffoquer (fr)
• Galician: afogar (gl)
• German: ersticken (de)
• Hebrew: נחנק
• Hungarian: megfullad (hu)
• Lombard: sofegar, stofegar (dialectal)
• Portuguese: sufocar (pt)
• Russian: задыха́ться (ru) impf (zadyxátʹsja), задохну́ться (ru) pf (zadoxnútʹsja)
• Swedish: kvävas (sv)
• Ukrainian: задиха́тися impf (zadyxátysja), задихну́тися pf (zadyxnútysja)
• Venetan: sofegar
• Vietnamese: chết ngạt, chết ngộp

(transitive) to cause someone to suffer severely reduced oxygen supply to his body

• Arabic: خَنَقَ (ḵanaqa)

  Hijazi Arabic: خَنَق (ḵanag)

• Azerbaijani: boğmaq (az)
• Belarusian: душы́ць impf (dušýcʹ), задушы́ць pf (zadušýcʹ), прыдушы́ць pf (prydušýcʹ), удушы́ць pf (udušýcʹ)
• Bulgarian: задуша́вам (bg) impf (zadušávam), задуша́ pf (zadušá), уду́швам impf (udúšvam)
• Carpathian Rusyn: подусити (podusyty)
• Cebuano: lumos
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使窒息 (zh) (shǐ zhìxī)

• Czech: dusit (cs) impf, udusit (cs) pf, zadusit pf
• Danish: kvæle (da)
• Esperanto: sufoki
• Finnish: tukehduttaa (fi)
• French: étouffer (fr)
• Galician: abafar (gl), sufocar, atafegar
• German: ersticken (de), würgen (de)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐍆𐍈𐌰𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽 (afƕapjan)
• Hebrew: חנק (he)
• Irish: plúch
• Japanese: 窒息させる (ja) (ちっそくさせる, chissoku saseru)
• Kabuverdianu: bafa
• Korean: 질식시키다 (jilsiksikida)
• Ladino: atabafar
• Latin: suffōcō
• Lombard: sofegar, stofegar (dialectal)
• Macedonian: задушува impf (zadušuva), задуши pf (zaduši), гуши impf (guši), души impf (duši)
• Polish: dusić (pl) impf, udusić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: sufocar (pt)
• Russian: души́ть (ru) impf (dušítʹ), задуши́ть (ru) pf (zadušítʹ), удуши́ть (ru) pf (udušítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: угуши́вати impf, угу́шити pf

  Roman: ugušívati (sh) impf, ugúšiti (sh) pf

• Slovak: dusiť impf, udusiť pf, zadusiť pf, Slovak podusiť
• Slovene: dušiti impf, zadušiti se pf
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: póddušyś, zadušyś

  Upper Sorbian: podusyć, dodusyć, dusyć

• Swedish: kväva (sv)
• Ukrainian: души́ти impf (dušýty), задуши́ти pf (zadušýty), удуши́ти pf (udušýty)

(transitive) to kill someone by depriving him of a sufficient oxygen intake

• Azerbaijani: boğmaq (az)
• Belarusian: душы́ць impf (dušýcʹ), задушы́ць pf (zadušýcʹ), прыдушы́ць pf (prydušýcʹ), удушы́ць pf (udušýcʹ)
• Bulgarian: задуша́вам (bg) impf (zadušávam), задуша́ pf (zadušá), уду́швам impf (udúšvam)
• Catalan: ofegar (ca)
• Czech: dusit (cs) impf, udusit (cs) pf, zadusit pf
• Danish: kvæle (da)
• Finnish: tukehduttaa (fi)
• Galician: afogar (gl), esganar
• German: ersticken (de)
• Hebrew: חנק (he)
• Hungarian: megfojt (hu)
• Irish: plúch
• Lombard: sofegar, stofegar (dialectal)
• Ottoman Turkish: بوغمق (boğmak)
• Polish: dusić (pl)
• Portuguese: sufocar (pt)
• Russian: души́ть (ru) impf (dušítʹ), задуши́ть (ru) pf (zadušítʹ), удуши́ть (ru) pf (udušítʹ)
• Spanish: ahogar (es)
• Swedish: kväva (sv)
• Ukrainian: души́ти impf (dušýty), задуши́ти pf (zadušýty), удуши́ти pf (udušýty)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} verstikken (nl)

Adjective

suffocate (comparative more suffocate, superlative most suffocate)

1. (obsolete) Suffocated; choked.
   • c. 1602, 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]:

     This chaos , when degree is suffocate , Follows the choking

Further reading

• “suffocate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “suffocate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “suffocate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• offuscate

Latin

Verb

suffōcāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of suffōcō