soffocare
suffocate
Togliere o bloccare l’aria a una persona o a un animale, così che non possa respirare bene.
Definition & meaning
Soffocare means to suffocate or to choke, by preventing someone from breathing. It can also mean to smother a fire by depriving it of air.
Figuratively, it means to stifle, suppress, or overwhelm a feeling, sound, or person.
- Il fumo lo soffocava. — The smoke was suffocating him.
- Ha soffocato una risata. — She stifled a laugh.
Grammar & Word origin
Soffocare is a regular -are verb. It can be transitive, as in “to suffocate someone,” or intransitive, as in “to suffocate.”
It comes from Latin suffocare, formed from sub- and fauces (“throat”).
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonyms: asfissiare specifically means to cause asphyxiation; strozzare means to strangle or choke, often by pressure on the throat. Reprimere means to suppress feelings or impulses.
- Antonyms: respirare means to breathe; liberare means to free, and can contrast with the figurative sense of stifling someone.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
La stanza è piccola e mi fa quasi soffocare.verb
The room is small and it almost makes me suffocate.
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