French Conversation · Level 65
60 words
French word
étouffer
Pronunciation
IPA/etufe/
Meaning
- verbsuffocate
Example
La fumée m'étouffe.
The smoke is suffocating me.
More examples
Elle s'étouffe de rire en voyant la vidéo.
She chokes from laughing as she watches the video.
Core concept
A blocked passage stops breath, while the same pressure keeps a voice, sound, or feeling from coming out.
Common phrases
s'étouffer de rire
choke from laughing
étouffer la voix
muffle the voice
étouffer la vérité
suppress the truth
Similar words
suffoquer: Make someone unable to breathe and suffer intense breathing difficulty.
asphyxier: Block breathing and put someone in a life-threatening condition.
réprimer: Strongly suppress feelings or desires so they are not expressed.
assourdir: Reduce a sound or voice until it becomes difficult to hear.
Definition in French
Faire taire ou réprimer une voix, un son ou une émotion, et, au sens propre, empêcher la respiration en bouchant les voies aériennes.
Word origin
French étouffer comes through Old French estouffer from a Latin-derived form linked to stuppa, meaning tow or packing material, suggesting stuffing or blocking.
Usage tips
- In La fumée m'étouffe, the smoke is the grammatical subject and m' marks the person affected, rather than the person being the subject of choke.