Definition of Asphyxiate

• 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"
• impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of; "The foul air was slowly suffocating the children"
• be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child suffocated under the pillow"