Meaning & use
asphyxia
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Meanings
noununcountablemedical
A dangerous condition in which the body does not get enough oxygen, often leading to unconsciousness or death.
Grammar: A mass noun used without 'a': he died of asphyxia.
Patterns
- die of asphyxia
- asphyxia caused by something
The coroner found that asphyxia was the cause of death.
Smoke in a closed room can lead to asphyxia within minutes.
Doctors treat asphyxia by restoring the person's breathing.
noununcountablemedical
Lack of oxygen in a newborn baby at birth, which can harm the brain if it goes on too long.
Grammar: Usually written birth asphyxia or perinatal asphyxia.
Patterns
- birth asphyxia
Birth asphyxia is a leading risk for newborns in some regions.
The midwife acted quickly to prevent asphyxia in the baby.
The clinic trains staff to recognize asphyxia in infants.
Common combinations
- die of asphyxia
- Two people died of asphyxia in the blocked tunnel.
- death by asphyxia
- The report listed death by asphyxia.
- cause asphyxia
- Gas leaks can cause asphyxia in small rooms.
- birth asphyxia
- Birth asphyxia needs urgent treatment.
- risk of asphyxia
- Small objects carry a risk of asphyxia for toddlers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- suffocation
- Suffocation is the everyday word for being unable to breathe, while asphyxia is the clinical term and also names the resulting lack of oxygen.
- choking
- Choking means blocking of the throat by something stuck there, and it is only one possible cause of asphyxia.
- strangulation
- Strangulation is pressure on the neck that stops breathing, again one specific cause of asphyxia.
- hypoxia
- Hypoxia is a milder or broader lack of oxygen in tissues, whereas asphyxia suggests a severe, life-threatening cut-off.
Word family
- asphyxiate verb
- to cause or suffer from asphyxia
- asphyxiation noun
- the process of becoming asphyxiated
- asphyxiated adjective
- suffering from lack of oxygen
- asphyxiant noun
- a gas that causes asphyxia by displacing oxygen
Commonly confused: asphyxia or asthma?
asphyxia vs asthma
Asthma is a long-term lung condition that makes breathing hard, while asphyxia is any severe loss of oxygen that can end in death.
Practice
The report stated that the cause of death was ___ caused by smoke inhalation.
Choose one answer.
Asphyxia is the condition of severe oxygen shortage, which smoke can cause. Asthma is a lung condition, anemia is low red blood cells, and amnesia is memory loss.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “asphyxia”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.