asphyxiate meaning and definition

ASPHYXIATE verb

Definition of asphyxiate (verb)

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"
   • synonyms: smother, suffocate
2. impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
   • "The foul air was slowly suffocating the children"
   • synonyms: choke, stifle, suffocate
3. be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen
   • "The child suffocated under the pillow"
   • synonyms: stifle, suffocate