1
suffocate something
此义下 suffocate 为及物动词，常接 fire、rebellion 等表示被扑灭或摧毁的对象。
The firefighters managed to suffocate the fire before it spread.
消防员设法在火势蔓延前扑灭了火。
扑灭；毁灭
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
扑灭；毁灭
to destroy or extinguish something
The firefighters managed to suffocate the fire before it spread.
消防员设法在火势蔓延前扑灭了火。
毁灭；扑灭。
To destroy; to extinguish.
suffocate
Base
原形
suffocates
3rd person
第三人称单数
suffocating
-ing
现在分词
suffocated
Past
过去式
suffocated
Past participle
过去分词
Carbon dioxide suffocates the flames instantly.
二氧化碳能瞬间扑灭火焰。
The heavy smoke suffocated the fire.
浓烟扑灭了火。
The team is suffocating the blaze with foam.
队员们正用泡沫扑灭大火。
规则动词；本词条释义为“毁灭；扑灭”，注意其及物用法。
The sudden downpour suffocated the campfire before we could cook dinner.
突如其来的大雨在我们做晚饭前就把篝火扑灭了。
Micromanagement often suffocates employees' creativity and initiative.
微观管理常常扼杀员工的创造力和主动性。
Putting a glass over the candle will suffocate the flame.
用玻璃杯罩住蜡烛会让火焰因缺氧而熄灭。
此义下 suffocate 为及物动词，常接 fire、rebellion 等表示被扑灭或摧毁的对象。
The firefighters managed to suffocate the fire before it spread.
消防员设法在火势蔓延前扑灭了火。
The protest was suffocated by the government's heavy-handed response.
抗议活动被政府的强硬回应扑灭了。
She suffocated the small fire with a damp cloth.
她用一块湿布扑灭了小火。
Not this
The suffocate of the fire was caused by the rain.
Use this
The suffocation of the fire was caused by the rain.
“suffocate”是动词，不能作名词。这里需要名词形式“suffocation”来充当句子的主语。
Not this
The fire suffocated.
Use this
The fire was suffocated.
当“suffocate”表示“扑灭”时是及物动词，必须带宾语或用被动语态。原句缺少宾语和被动标记，应改为被动形式。
Not this
The firefighters suffocated out the fire.
Use this
The firefighters suffocated the fire.
“suffocate”本身已含“扑灭”之意，不需要再加“out”。这是受中文“扑灭”中“灭”的结果补语影响的错误。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
扑灭火焰
They used sand to suffocate the flames.
他们用沙子扑灭了火焰。
镇压叛乱
The army was sent in to suffocate the rebellion.
军队被派去镇压叛乱。
压制异议
The authorities tried to suffocate dissent.
当局试图压制异议。
扼杀创造力
Rigid rules can suffocate creativity.
僵化的规则会扼杀创造力。
扼杀经济增长
Excessive regulation may suffocate economic growth.
过度的监管可能会扼杀经济增长。
Use suffocate naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
把燃烧的火苗闷进罐子，它窒息而灭；suffocate 正是‘扑灭/毁灭’的联想。
语域：mixed 常见场景：灭火/火灾扑救、抽象/书面表达 该义项表示使火焰因缺氧而熄灭，或使抽象事物（如想法、希望）被压制而消失。用法会随语境变化：用于灭火时较具体、接近中性；用于抽象含义时多出现在书面或正式表达中。日常口语中较少直接用这个义项。
这些词都含 -cate 且末尾发 /keɪt/，适合对照拼读。其中 dedicate /ˈdedɪkeɪt/ 与 medicate /ˈmedɪkeɪt/ 为真押韵（重读元音及之后相同）；但都不与 suffocate /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ 押韵，因为 suffocate 的重读部分 /ˈsʌf-/ 使韵脚不同。另注意 allocate /ˈæləkeɪt/ 和 locate /ˈloʊkeɪt/ 拼写相近，但读音并不相同。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.