asphyxiate (
http://definr.com/asphyxiate)
v 1: 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" [syn:
smother,
suffocate]
2: impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of;
"The foul air was slowly suffocating the children" [syn:
suffocate,
choke]