suffocate

/ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsə-fə-ˌkāt/ (ame, mw)

suffocate — 動詞

  • suffocatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • suffocateshe / she / it
  • suffocatedpast simple
  • suffocating-ing form

1. to die or cause another living thing to die when the lungs cannot get any oxygen

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

窒息而死

因缺氧而死亡

to die or cause another living thing to die when the lungs cannot get any oxygen

例句

The fish suffocated after the pump stopped pushing oxygen into the tank.

那條魚在打氧機故障後，因為水裡沒有氧氣而窒息而死。

intransitive: cause of death

Wei's grandfather suffocated in the fire because smoke filled every room before help arrived.

Wei 的祖父在這場火災中窒息而死，因為濃煙在消防員抵達前就充滿了每個房間。

intransitive: accidental death in a fire

同義詞
  • asphyxiate

    medical or formal term for the same process; used mainly in clinical or forensic contexts

  • smother

    specifically means to prevent breathing by covering the nose and mouth; often implies a deliberate action

  • choke

    focuses on air being blocked inside the throat by an object, rather than lack of oxygen in the environment

反義詞
  • breathe

    the normal act that suffocation prevents

  • oxygenate

    to supply with oxygen, the opposite of what happens during suffocation

文法句型

suffocate + (optional object)

be suffocated by + noun phrase

用法筆記

Often used in the passive voice (was suffocated) when describing accidental death. The transitive form typically describes a direct action (covering the mouth, blocking the airway), while the intransitive form focuses on the result (the person or animal died).

常見錯誤

❌The fish drowned in the polluted pond.
✅The fish suffocated in the polluted pond.
💡Drowning means death from inhaling water into the lungs; suffocation means death from lack of oxygen regardless of the surrounding substance.

2. to prevent a person, idea, business, or creative activity from developing or imp

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

扼殺；壓抑

阻礙發展或成長

to prevent a person, idea, business, or creative activity from developing or improving in a natural way

例句

The manager's constant criticism suffocated any new ideas the young team tried to share.

主管不斷的批評扼殺了年輕團隊想提出的任何新點子。

figurative: suffocate + abstract object (ideas)

Overly strict school rules can suffocate a child's natural curiosity about the world.

過於嚴格的校規可能會壓抑孩子對世界與生俱來的好奇心。

同義詞
  • stifle

    very close in meaning; 'stifle' can also refer to holding back a sound or emotion, while 'suffocate' is more about suppressing development

  • suppress

    stronger implication of deliberate force or authority; 'suffocate' suggests a gradual, sometimes unintended, effect

  • quash

    more formal and forceful; suggests an official or legal act of stopping something completely

  • smother

    similar to 'suffocate' but often implies excessive attention or help rather than restriction

反義詞
  • encourage

    to give support, confidence, or hope to someone so they develop freely

  • nurture

    to care for and help something grow and develop

  • foster

    to encourage the development of something over time

文法句型

suffocate + abstract noun (creativity, growth, potential, innovation)

suffocate + person / group (as the object of oppression)

用法筆記

Always transitive in this figurative sense. The object is almost always something abstract (creativity, growth, potential, freedom, innovation, ambition) or a group of people or small organisations (small businesses, young talent, minority voices). This sense is common in political, business, and educational writing.

常見錯誤

❌The strict rules destroyed my creativity.
✅The strict rules suffocated my creativity.
💡'Destroy' suggests sudden and total annihilation; 'suffocate' suggests a gradual process of preventing natural growth by limiting freedom or resources.
❌The heat suffocated the plants.
✅The heat killed the plants.' or 'The weeds suffocated the plants.
💡For literal plants dying from lack of air in soil, use 'suffocate'; for heat damage use a different verb.

3. to deliberately stop someone from breathing by covering their mouth and nose, sq

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

使窒息；悶住

刻意阻斷呼吸

to deliberately stop someone from breathing by covering their mouth and nose, squeezing their throat, or depriving them of air in some other direct physical way

例句

The attacker tried to suffocate Diego by pressing a thick cushion over his face.

攻擊者試圖用一個厚坐墊壓在 Diego 臉上，把他悶住。

deliberate act: suffocate + person + by + method

A large python suffocates its prey by squeezing tighter every time the animal breathes out.

大蟒蛇每次在獵物呼氣時纏得更緊，使獵物窒息。

同義詞
  • smother

    specifically means to cover the nose and mouth to prevent breathing; very close to this sense of 'suffocate'

  • strangle

    specifically means to squeeze the throat; more violent and implies using hands or a cord

  • asphyxiate

    formal/medical term for causing death by oxygen deprivation; can describe any method

反義詞
  • revive

    to bring someone back to consciousness after they have been deprived of air

  • resuscitate

    medical term for restoring breathing and circulation

文法句型

suffocate + person/animal + with/by + instrument (pillow, cloth, hands)

suffocate + person/animal (without specifying method)

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 3 emphasises the deliberate physical action of cutting off air (strangling, smothering, covering the airway), while sense 1 emphasises the result (death from oxygen deprivation regardless of the method). Distinguish from sense 4: sense 4 is about discomfort from stale air; sense 3 involves a specific physical obstruction of the airway.

常見錯誤

❌The stuffy room suffocated me.
✅The stuffy room made me feel like I was suffocating.
💡For discomfort from bad air quality, use the intransitive continuous form (sense 4), not the transitive. Sense 3 is for deliberate physical blocking of the airway.

4. to feel very uncomfortable or to have trouble breathing because the air in an en

4.動詞不及物B1
釋義

悶熱難受

因空氣不流通而不適

to feel very uncomfortable or to have trouble breathing because the air in an enclosed space is hot, stale, or has too little fresh oxygen

例句

Sofia felt she was suffocating in a meeting room with twenty people and no windows.

Sofia 在一間沒有窗戶的會議室裡和二十個人擠在一起，覺得快要悶死了。

continuous: feel like + suffocating + in [place]

Amara opened the car window wide because she was suffocating in the afternoon heat.

Amara 把車窗完全搖下來，因為她在午後的炎熱中快要悶壞了。

同義詞
  • stifle

    can also mean to feel uncomfortable from heat or lack of air, but 'suffocate' is more common for this specific sense

  • swelter

    focuses on the heat rather than the lack of oxygen; less common in everyday speech

反義詞

文法句型

feel as if / like + suffocating

be suffocating + in + location

suffocate + adverb (inside, in here)

用法筆記

Intransitive only — you do not suffocate someone else in this sense. Almost always used in the continuous form (am suffocating, was suffocating, felt like suffocating). Common in informal complaints about hot rooms, crowded public transport, or poorly ventilated spaces. The feeling is unpleasant but usually not life-threatening.

常見錯誤

❌I am choking in this hot room.
✅I am suffocating in this hot room.
💡'Choke' implies something is stuck in your throat blocking the airway; 'suffocate' means the air itself is bad or insufficient.