suffocate

suffocate, asphyxiate, stifle, smother, choke, strangle, throttle can all mean to interrupt the normal course of breathing.

Suffocate commonly refers to conditions in which breathing is impossible through lack of available oxygen or through presence of noxious or poisonous gas

{

prisoners suffocated in the underground dungeon

}

Suffocate also refers to situations in which breathing is impossible because mouth and nose are covered

{

suffocating under the mud and earth which had fallen over his head

}

Asphyxiate is likely to refer to situations in which death comes through poisonous gases in the air or through lack of sufficient oxygen

{

asphyxiated by the chlorine gas in the cellar

}

Stifle is appropriately used to refer to situations in which breathing is difficult or impossible through lack of adequate fresh air and, often, presence of heat

{

closing a hatch to stop a fire and the destruction of a cargo was justified even if it was known that doing so would stifle a man below— Justice Holmes

}

Smother is likely to be used in situations in which the supply of oxygen is inadequate for life; it often suggests a deadening pall of smoke, dust, or impurity in the air

{

smothered by the dust after the explosion

}

{

a smell of soot which smothered the scent of wistaria and iris— Bromfield

}

Smother also refers to situations in which the mouth and nose are covered so that one cannot breathe

{

was smoth-ered with a cushion

}

Choke suggests difficulty in breathing through constriction, obstruction, or extreme irritation within the throat

{

choked to death by a brutal marauder

}

{

gasping and choking as the harsh liquor burned his throat

}

{

choking as he breathed the acrid smoke

}

Strangle also refers to constriction of the throat, obstruction of the windpipe, or irritation, but it is more likely to indicate fatality or quite serious condition

{

fingers itched to strangle him— R. W. Buchanan

}

{

strangling on a chicken bone

}

Throttle usually suggests external compression of the throat done forcefully for the purpose of subduing or overcoming resistance

{

heartbeats ... so violent that they seemed . .. throttling hands to her throat— Wharton

}