1. (

• smother ,
• asphyxiate ,
• suffocate

) 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" ;

2. (

• suffocate ,
• stifle ,
• asphyxiate ,
• choke ,

) impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of; "The foul air was slowly suffocating the children" ;

3. (

• suffocate ,
• stifle ,
• asphyxiate

) be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child suffocated under the pillow" ;