suffocation

[ suhf-uh-key-shuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the act of killing by preventing air from getting to the blood through the lungs or gills; strangulation:
A crushing neck injury resulted in the child’s suffocation.
difficulty breathing or inability to breathe, or any act that causes this:
One protestor endured temporary suffocation from tear gas.
the act of making someone uncomfortable, or the fact of becoming uncomfortable, through lack of fresh air:
Every noon, the market was crowded; but on Sundays, it was crowded to the point of suffocation.
the act or practice of thwarting someone’s self-expression, freedom, independence, etc.:
Under the military regime there was so much suffocation of the media—they even burned down news offices.

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin suffōcātiōn-, stem of suffōcātiō, “a choking, stifling”; suffocate ( def ), -ion ( def )

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