Spanish Conversation · Level 65
60 words
Spanish word
sofocar
Pronunciation
IPA/sofoˈkaɾ/
Meaning
- verbsuffocate
Example
El humo puede sofocar a las personas.
Smoke can suffocate people.
More examples
El bochorno de la ciudad me sofoca.
The city's oppressive heat suffocates me.
Core concept
Invisible pressure crushing a person's chest.
Common phrases
sofocar las llamas
smother the flames
sofocar un incendio
put out a fire
me sofoca el calor
feel suffocated by the heat
Similar words
ahogar: Lungs become filled with liquid so respiration is blocked and drowning occurs.
asfixiar: Loss of air to the lungs halts breathing through airway obstruction, external compression, or gases.
agobiar: Persistent pressure, worry, or workload weigh on the mind and produce a stifling anxiety.
Definition in Spanish
Causar que una persona o cosa deje de respirar con normalidad; también reprimir o contener con fuerza sentimientos, protestas o fuego.
Word origin
From Latin suffocāre 'to choke', sofocar moves from a literal choking meaning to figurative uses for repressing protests, containing feelings, or smothering a situation.
Usage tips
- Unlike ahogar, which often implies drowning in liquid, and asfixiar, which is used in medical contexts, sofocar suits emotional pressure and figurative suppression.
Other meanings
- oppressverb
- suppressverb
- extinguishverb
Opposites
- avivarrekindleverb
- respirarbreatheverb
Related words
- sofocantesuffocatingadjective
- sofocaciónsuffocationnoun