| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cut off air |
| Synonyms: | choke, drown, smother, stifle, strangle, strangulate, suffocate |
| Antonyms: | breathe, loosen |
| Main Entry: | drown |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | submerge in liquid; submerge and die |
| Synonyms: | asphyxiate, deluge, dip, douse, drench, engulf, flood, go down, go under, immerse, inundate, knock over, obliterate, overcome, overflow, overpower, overwhelm, plunge, prostrate, sink, soak, sop, souse, stifle, suffocate, swamp, whelm, wipe out |
| Antonyms: | float, rescue, save |
| Main Entry: | kill |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | deprive of existence; destroy |
| Synonyms: | X-out, annihilate, asphyxiate, assassinate, crucify, dispatch, do away with, do in, drown, dump, electrocute, eradicate, erase*, execute, exterminate, extirpate, finish, garrote, get*, guillotine, hang, hit*, immolate, liquidate, lynch, massacre, murder, neutralize, obliterate, off*, poison, polish off, put away, put to death, rub out, sacrifice, slaughter, slay, smother, snuff, strangle, suffocate, waste*, wipe out, zap |
| Antonyms: | bear, create, give birth |
| Main Entry: | murder |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | kill |
| Synonyms: | abolish, asphyxiate, assassinate, behead, blot out, bump off, butcher, chill*, cool*, decapitate, defeat, destroy, dispatch, do in, drub, dust off, electrocute, eliminate, eradicate, execute, exterminate, extinguish, finish, garotte, guillotine, hang, hit*, knife, knock off, liquidate, lynch, mangle, mar, massacre, misuse, off*, put away, rub out, ruin, shoot, slaughter, slay, smother, snuff, spoil, strangle, take a life, take for a ride, take out*, thrash*, waste* |
| Notes: | the general term for the killing of a person by another is homicide; murder is either the intentional killing or malicious killing of another; manslaughter is the unintentional, accidental killing of another through carelessness |
| Antonyms: | guard, preserve, protect, save |
| Main Entry: | smother |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | extinguish; cover, hide |
| Synonyms: | asphyxiate, choke, collect, compose, conceal, control, cool, cork, douse, envelop, heap, hush up, inundate, keep back, kill, muffle, overwhelm, quash, quell, quench, rein, repress, restrain, shower, shroud, simmer down, snuff, squelch, stamp out, stifle, strangle, suffocate, suppress, surround, throttle |
| Antonyms: | light, start, uncover |
| Main Entry: | stifle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | prevent, restrain |
| Synonyms: | asphyxiate, black out, bring to screeching halt, burke, check, choke, choke back, clam up, clamp down, constipate, cork, cover up, crack down, curb, dry up, extinguish, gag, hold it down, hush, hush up, kill*, muffle, muzzle, put the lid on, repress, shut up, silence, sit on, smother, spike, squash, squelch, stagnate, stop, strangle, stultify, suffocate, suppress, torpedo, trammel |
| Antonyms: | encourage, help, persuade |
| Main Entry: | strangle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | choke, stifle |
| Synonyms: | asphyxiate, gag, garrote/garrotte, inhibit, kill, muffle, quelch, repress, restrain, shush, smother, squelch, strangulate, subdue, suffocate, suppress, throttle |
| Notes: | strangle implies a focus on the result of this process, whereas strangulate focuses on the process itself |
| Antonyms: | free, let go, loose |
| Main Entry: | suffocate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | choke |
| Synonyms: | asphyxiate, drown, smother, stifle, strangle |
| Antonyms: | free, let go, loose |