suffocation
suffocation — noun
1. a state in which a person dies because the body does not receive enough oxygen;
a state in which a person dies because the body does not receive enough oxygen; also, a way of causing someone's death by blocking their air supply
The paramedic worked quickly to clear the smoke and prevent suffocation.
prevent suffocation
Heavy snow blocked the car's exhaust pipe, and the driver died from suffocation.
die from suffocation
In the forensic report, suffocation was listed as the official cause of death.
Fire safety training covers the risk of suffocation from toxic smoke inhalation.
The miner's family filed a lawsuit after his death from suffocation in the collapsed tunnel.
- asphyxiation
technical or medical term for the same condition
- strangulation
specifically refers to suffocation by squeezing the neck, not general lack of oxygen
文法句型
suffocation from [cause]
die from / die of suffocation
用法筆記
Often appears in medical, forensic, and safety contexts. Frequently paired with cause markers (from, due to) as in 'suffocation from smoke inhalation'.
常見錯誤
suffocation — verb
- suffocationpresent simple I / you / we / they
- suffocations3rd person singular
- suffocationing-ing form
- suffocationedpast simple
1. to die because there is not enough air to breathe, or to cause someone's death b
to die because there is not enough air to breathe, or to cause someone's death by stopping them from breathing
Without their emergency oxygen tanks, the climbers would suffocate on the high mountain peak.
intransitive: [subject] would suffocate
The attacker grabbed a pillow and tried to suffocate the sleeping victim.
transitive: try to suffocate [person]
A faulty heater filled the room with gas, and the residents suffocated in their sleep.
The autopsy showed the victim had been suffocated by a soft object over the mouth.
When the lab's air filter broke overnight, all the research animals suffocated.
- asphyxiate
more formal, clinical term; common in medical writing
- choke
focuses on the airway being blocked internally (food, liquid), not external pressure or lack of oxygen in the environment
- smother
specifically means covering the mouth and nose to prevent breathing
文法句型
[person/animal] suffocate
[person] suffocate [person/animal]
be suffocated by [object/substance]
用法筆記
Frequently appears in passive constructions (was suffocated, had been suffocated) when describing how a victim died. The intransitive use describes the process of dying from insufficient air.
常見錯誤
2. to feel very uncomfortable because there is not enough fresh air in an enclosed
to feel very uncomfortable because there is not enough fresh air in an enclosed space, or to make someone feel this way
The rush-hour train was so crowded and hot that Reema felt she would suffocate.
intransitive: felt [she] would suffocate
Without any windows open, the stuffy meeting room soon suffocated everyone inside.
transitive: [room] suffocated [everyone]
The midday heat was so intense that Hugo felt he would suffocate inside the car.
The basement workshop had no ventilation, and after an hour Nadia felt she was suffocating.
A broken air conditioner left the office so stuffy that several employees felt suffocated.
- stifle
very similar meaning; can also describe feeling restricted by heat or lack of air
文法句型
[person] suffocate in [place]
[heat/stuffiness] suffocate [person]
用法筆記
Describes discomfort, not actual death. The object of the transitive use is typically a place or climate condition (heat, stuffiness), not a person acting intentionally.
常見錯誤
3. to prevent something from growing, developing, or continuing in a healthy way —
to prevent something from growing, developing, or continuing in a healthy way — for example, a rigid system suffocating creativity, or strict rules suffocating progress
Strict government regulations suffocated innovation in the small tech sector.
[regulations] suffocated [innovation]
The teacher worried that the rigid curriculum would suffocate the children's natural creativity.
High taxes and endless paperwork are suffocating small businesses across the region.
Alessia believed the company's culture of fear suffocated honest discussion among the team.
The committee's refusal to hear new proposals suffocated any chance of meaningful reform.
文法句型
[policy/system/attitude] suffocate [development/creativity/growth]
用法筆記
Used only figuratively in this sense. The subject is typically an abstract force (rules, culture, bureaucracy, fear), and the object is something positive that ought to grow (creativity, innovation, discussion, reform). Unlike senses 1 and 2, this sense does not describe physical breathing.