suffocation
suffocation — noun
1. death that happens when a person or animal cannot get enough oxygen to breathe,
death that happens when a person or animal cannot get enough oxygen to breathe, either because the air supply is cut off or because the surrounding air has no oxygen in it.
The medical report listed suffocation as Tomás's cause of death after the house fire.
die of suffocation (cause of death collocation)
Parents of young children worry about suffocation from plastic bags or loose bedding.
The firefighters reported that the victims had died of suffocation from smoke inhalation.
Toy manufacturers must put suffocation warnings on products with small parts.
Adina's pet hamster died of suffocation when it became trapped inside a drawer.
- asphyxiation
the medical or formal term for death from lack of oxygen
- choking
focuses on the airway being blocked from inside, not outside
- breathing
the normal act of taking in oxygen
常見錯誤
❖ 'He died of suffocation by the smoke.' ✅ 'He died of suffocation from the smoke.' — 'from' is the standard preposition used with the cause, not 'by.'
❖ 'The suffocation killed three people.' ✅ 'Suffocation killed three people / Three people died of suffocation.' — 'suffocation' is uncountable and usually does not take 'the' when referring to the general cause.
suffocation — verb
- suffocationpresent simple I / you / we / they
- suffocations3rd person singular
- suffocationing-ing form
- suffocationedpast simple
1. to kill someone by preventing them from breathing, usually by covering their nos
to kill someone by preventing them from breathing, usually by covering their nose and mouth or pressing on their throat.
The attacker tried to suffocate the night guard with a pillow during the robbery.
attempted suffocation: try to suffocate [person] with [object]
In the crime novel, the killer suffocates victims by holding a cloth over their faces.
The husband suffocated his wife in a jealous rage, the court heard.
Police charged Kwame with attempted murder after he tried to suffocate his cellmate.
- asphyxiate
more formal or medical; can also mean depriving of oxygen without physical force
- smother
specifically means covering the face to stop breathing
文法句型
suffocate + object
be suffocated by + agent
用法筆記
The subject is usually a person who deliberately blocks someone's breathing. Frequently appears in crime and legal contexts. Commonly used in the passive voice (be suffocated by).
常見錯誤
❖ 'He suffocated her with a smoke.' ✅ 'He suffocated her with a pillow.' — 'suffocate' in this sense means physically blocking the airway, not poisoning or using smoke.
2. to prevent a living thing from getting enough oxygen, causing injury or death, o
to prevent a living thing from getting enough oxygen, causing injury or death, often without deliberate human action.
The thick plastic wrapping suffocated the plants by stopping air from reaching their roots.
accidental suffocation: [material] suffocates [living thing]
Firefighters worried that the heavy smoke would suffocate anyone trapped inside the burning building.
Oil on the water suffocated all the fish in the pond near the factory.
The pillow suffocated baby Rin by covering her nose and mouth, the doctor said.
- asphyxiate
more formal; often used in medical or environmental contexts
- oxygenate
to supply with oxygen
文法句型
suffocate + object
用法筆記
The subject can be any material, substance, or condition that blocks oxygen. Unlike sense 1, this does not require a deliberate killer — smoke, oil, or a loose blanket can suffocate accidentally.
3. to make someone feel very uncomfortable because the air in a room, vehicle, or o
to make someone feel very uncomfortable because the air in a room, vehicle, or other space is too hot and does not move.
The crowded bus suffocated the passengers during the summer heat wave in Taipei.
[confined space] suffocates [person]
Chiara felt the small windowless office would suffocate her if she stayed much longer.
The thick curtains and closed windows suffocated everyone in the living room that afternoon.
Bao found that the stuffy train carriage suffocated him during the five-hour journey.
文法句型
[stuffy space] suffocates + object
用法筆記
The subject is typically a space (a room, bus, train) with poor ventilation. This sense does not imply death — only extreme discomfort from heat and lack of fresh air.
常見錯誤
❖ 'The hot weather suffocated me.' ✅ 'The small room suffocated me.' — the subject should be a confined space with bad air, not the weather itself.
4. to prevent something from developing, growing, or expressing itself freely — for
to prevent something from developing, growing, or expressing itself freely — for example, stifling creativity, freedom, or a business.
The strict school rules suffocated the students' creativity during art class.
figurative: [restriction] suffocates [abstract quality]
Ilan felt that his parents' constant worrying was suffocating his independence at age twenty.
The government's new media laws suffocated any public debate about the election campaign.
Living in a small town with few job opportunities began to suffocate Soraya's ambition.
文法句型
suffocate + abstract noun
用法筆記
Figurative sense: the subject is typically an external force such as rules, control, expectations, or a limiting environment. The object is usually an abstract noun like creativity, freedom, debate, ambition, or independence.
常見錯誤
❖ 'The heat suffocated my work.' ✅ 'The strict rules suffocated my creativity.' — this figurative sense needs an abstract quality (creativity, freedom) as the object, not a concrete product or activity.
5. to die because you cannot breathe, for example because you are in a place with n
to die because you cannot breathe, for example because you are in a place with no air or the air is poisonous.
Three workers suffocated when toxic gas filled the underground tunnel near the mine.
intransitive: [person] suffocates in [place/cause]
The kitten suffocated after climbing into a tightly sealed storage box in the garage.
Many fish suffocated when the pond froze over and blocked oxygen from entering the water.
Omar's grandfather almost suffocated during a severe asthma attack last winter.
- asphyxiate
more technical; used especially in medical reports
- breathe
the normal act of taking in air
文法句型
[living thing] suffocates
用法筆記
Intransitive — the subject is the living thing that dies. Distinguished from sense 1 by the absence of an external agent causing the death; here, the cause is an environmental condition or medical event.
常見錯誤
❖ 'The man suffocated by the smoke.' ✅ 'The man suffocated from the smoke.' — in the intransitive sense, the cause is introduced with 'from' or 'in,' never 'by' (which is used in passive transitive constructions).
6. to feel very uncomfortable because the air around you is too hot, still, and has
to feel very uncomfortable because the air around you is too hot, still, and has no movement.
Justin suffocated in the stuffy attic while searching for his grandmother's old photo albums.
intransitive: [person] suffocates in [space]
The wedding guests began to suffocate in the crowded hall without any air conditioning.
Felix felt he would suffocate if he spent another minute in the tiny lift.
The children started suffocating in the back of the car with the windows closed.
- stifle
can also describe discomfort from heat and bad air
文法句型
[person] suffocates in [confined space]
用法筆記
Intransitive — describes the feeling of being in an airless space. Different from sense 3 (transitive) because here there is no object; the subject experiences the discomfort directly. Often used with 'feel' or 'start' as helping verbs.
7. to gradually lose the ability to grow, develop, or express yourself because of t
to gradually lose the ability to grow, develop, or express yourself because of too many rules, controls, or pressures around you.
Tariq felt his spirit suffocate under the weight of endless rules at the office.
figurative intransitive: [spirit / soul] suffocates under [pressure]
Local businesses suffocated when the new shopping mall opened and took away all their customers.
The arts scene in the city suffocated after the government cut all its funding.
Vivek feared his dream of becoming a painter would suffocate at the bank.
文法句型
[abstract entity] suffocates under [pressure]
用法筆記
Figurative intransitive sense — describes abstract entities (spirit, creativity, business, dream) losing vitality due to external constraints. The metaphor comes from the physical experience of being unable to breathe in a tight space.