sufoca

[su-FO-ka]

verb

suffocates, chokes, stifles

1. Third person singular present indicative of 'sufocar' - to deprive of air or oxygen; to choke or asphyxiate

The smoke sufoca the person in the room.

A fumaça sufoca a pessoa na sala.

2. To suppress, oppress, or stifle (emotionally or intellectually)

The strict rules sufoca the students' creativity.

As regras rígidas sufocam a criatividade dos alunos.

3. To overwhelm or burden excessively

Too many responsibilities sufoca him.

Muitas responsabilidades o sufocam.

NYC Slang

chokes up, gets choked up, suffocates (literal); stresses someone out (figurative)

Synonyms

Antonyms

Regional Variations

General Brazilian

sufoca

Standard usage in both literal and figurative contexts

Rio de Janeiro

sufoca

Common in colloquial speech with emotional/metaphorical usage

São Paulo

sufoca

Standard usage, sometimes used in slang to mean 'overwhelms'

Portugal

sufoca

Standard usage, though 'asfixia' more common in medical contexts

sufoca de raiva (chokes with rage)

sufoca sob pressão (chokes under pressure)

a cidade o sufoca (the city suffocates/overwhelms him)

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