"asphyxiates" in the verb sense
1. smother, asphyxiate, suffocate
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"
2. suffocate, stifle, asphyxiate, choke
impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
"The foul air was slowly suffocating the children"
3. suffocate, stifle, asphyxiate
be asphyxiated die from lack of oxygen
"The child suffocated under the pillow"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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