asphyxiate Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
    suffocate; smother.
    • Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow
    • The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor
  2. verb impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
    stifle; suffocate; choke.
    • The foul air was slowly suffocating the children
  3. verb be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen
    stifle; suffocate.
    • The child suffocated under the pillow

WordNet

As*phyx"i*ate transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To bring to a state of asphyxia; to suffocate. Used commonly in the past pple.

Webster 1913