1.deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing;
Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow
2.impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of;
The foul air was slowly suffocating the children
3.become stultified, suppressed, or stifled;
He is suffocating--living at home with his aged parents in the small village
4.suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of;
His job suffocated him
5.be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen;
The child suffocated under the pillow
6.feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air;
The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating
7.struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake;
he swallowed a fishbone and gagged