ɡæɡ

ˈstɹæŋɡ(ə)l ˈstɹæŋɡəl struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake he swallowed a fishbone and gagged feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen The child suffocated under the pillow suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of His job suffocated him become stultified, suppressed, or stifled He is suffocating — living at home with his aged parents in the small village impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of The foul air was slowly suffocating the children 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