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# suffocate

«suffocate» in Mova's school dictionary: **to be unable to breathe because there is not enough air…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

verb (suffocate, suffocates, suffocated, suffocating)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To suffocate is to be unable to breathe because there is not enough air, which can make a person or animal very ill or die. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#m1)

2) To suffocate someone or something is to stop it getting air. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#m2)

3) To feel suffocated is to feel trapped or held back, or very hot and stuffy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

Very important in safety lessons: plastic bags are not toys, because they can cover the nose and mouth and suffocate a child; never shut anyone or a pet in a box, fridge or car. In science, fire needs oxygen, so a fire blanket suffocates flames. Phrases: «suffocating heat».

### examples

- Plastic bags can suffocate small children, so never play with them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#x1)
- A fire blanket suffocates the flames by keeping air out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#x2)
- Never leave a dog in a hot car; it could suffocate. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#x3)
- The heat in the tent was suffocating. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#x4)
- Weeds can suffocate the young plants. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#x5)
- Keep pillows and soft toys out of a baby's cot so it can't suffocate. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#x6)
- He felt suffocated in the crowded room. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#x7)
- Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey that they could not use their wings, nor release themselves, and were suffocated. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/#x8)

### note

Regular verb: drop the e: «suffocated», «suffocating». Spelling: double f. Fires need oxygen, so cutting off air puts them out. If someone cannot breathe, call emergency services at once.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «suffocate» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/suffocate/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.