Suffocate \Suf"fo*cate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Suffocated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Suffocating}.] 1. To choke or kill by stopping respiration; to stifle; to smother. Let not hemp his windpipe suffocate. --Shak. 2. To destroy; to extinguish; as, to suffocate fire.