asphyxiate

views updated May 11 2018

as·phyx·i·ate / asˈfiksēˌāt/ • v. [tr.] (usu. be asphyxiated) kill (someone) by depriving them of air. ∎  [intr.] die in this way: they slowly asphyxiated.DERIVATIVES: as·phyx·i·a·tion / asˌfiksēˈāshən/ n.