suffocate

verb

1. deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing"Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow"
2. impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of"The foul air was slowly suffocating the children"
3. become stultified, suppressed, or stifled"He is suffocating — living at home with his aged parents in the small village"
4. suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of"His job suffocated him"
5. be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen"The child suffocated under the pillow"
6. feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air"The room was hot and stuffy and we were suffocating"
7. struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake"he swallowed a fishbone and gagged"