Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To produce asphyxia in; suffocate, or deprive of oxygen to the extent of producing death or very serious symptoms.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To bring to a state of asphyxia; to suffocate. [Used commonly in the past pple.]
WordNet 3.0
- v. impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
- v. deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
- v. be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen
Examples
“Moreover, when the human body does start to asphyxiate on a liquid, it has a … peculiar reflex, designed to prevent aspiration of liquid: the larynx clamps down, preventing anything - air, water, whatever, from entering the lungs.”
“Climbing up revealed that the alarm meant the backup 9V battery was low, not that I was about to asphyxiate – that would have rated four beeps in quick succession.”
“Donovan and his investigators began piecing together the many parts of the Nazi Holocaust machine, unearthing SS documents on “death vans” used to asphyxiate Jews, collecting testimony from Auschwitz survivors on its gas chambers.”
“She will be at the church giving arrival updates to the Prince; she will be the only one who can get under the dress and hold it up so Kate can use the loo beforehand; and to figure out how to stuff the massive train into the carriage to the Palace afterwards so it doesn't asphyxiate Will on the way.”
The Huffington Post: Marcy Blum: The Royal Wedding's Unspoken -- and Secret -- Hero
“We can't leave certain people to asphyxiate the Ivorian economy—because for some people, this is their sole objective," he said.”
“When Jonathan Trott does exactly the same he's a balding madman, some crease-fiddling glory-hunter attempting single-handedly to asphyxiate all cricket with his annihilating leg‑side wagon wheel.”
The Guardian: Colonial promiscuity in danger of diluting test cricket's pleasures | Barney Ronay
“The chairman wondered whether she would asphyxiate before the singularity at the heart of the warp core crushed the ship.”
“Because whatever you do you mustn't fall asleep when you're wearing them or you'll asphyxiate your eyes.”
“The 34-year-old Superior mental-health counselor charged with murder in the death of her 6-month-old son told a detective at the hospital that she feared her son had autism and attempted to asphyxiate the boy with a plastic bag before "put (ting) blankets over the baby's head," according to an arrest-warrant affidavit released this afternoon.”
“She methodically rigged up her car, planning to asphyxiate herself.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘asphyxiate’.
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Bluraven's list
These are words that have a certain beauty about them and a gentleness on the tongue.
mellifluous, meretricious, vituperation, loquacious, auspicious, coherently, contumaciously, contumely, contumelious, perspicacity, perspicuous, obstreperous and 29 more...
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Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace's gargantuan novel.
debauch, asphyxiate, benighted, imprimatur, nonplussed, kismet, comme-il-faut, prolix, dipsomaniacal, nadir
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My Favorite Words
mummery, mellifluous, ineffable, lascivious, asphyxiate, defenstrate, fumet
케발컨 I really like this word cause it represents the meaning. Like, you look at that word and you know that it's all choked up! Aug 9, 2008