What does strangulate mean?
Strangulate means to kill by constricting the neck, but the word also has an important technical use for compressing a passage so severely that blood, air, or another substance cannot circulate normally. In medicine, it may describe a condition in which a blood vessel or airway is pinched or blocked. Figuratively, strangulate can mean to suppress growth, activity, communication, or opportunity, suggesting that something is being choked off rather than merely limited. The word is more formal and technical than the everyday verb strangle, although the two are closely related. Its history is tied to the Latin strangulare, “to strangle,” derived from a term associated with a noose or halter, which gives the modern word its enduring association with pressure, constriction, and suffocation.
verbTo kill someone by strangling them, or to compress or obstruct something so that circulation, breathing, or flow is severely restricted. It can also be used figuratively to describe the suppression or stifling of growth, freedom, or activity.
- To kill someone by squeezing or constricting the neck.
- To compress or obstruct blood flow, breathing, or another passage, especially in medical or technical contexts.
- To suppress or severely limit growth, activity, communication, or opportunity.
"The warning described how a poorly positioned harness could strangulate the animal's neck."
"The attacker attempted to strangle the victim, but the neighbours intervened."
"The clot can partially strangulate the blood supply to the affected limb."
From a Latin word meaning “to strangle,” which itself refers to a noose or halter, strangulate entered English with the imagery of a rope tightening around a neck.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does strangulate come from?
The English word comes from Latin strangulare, “to strangle,” which was formed from strangula, a word for a noose, halter, or cord. The Latin word could refer both to killing by constriction and to obstructing or compressing something. In English, strangulate developed its modern medical sense alongside the older sense of strangling and killing by the neck. Related words such as strangle, strangler, and strangulation belong to the same Latin etymological family.
Related word forms
How strangulate is actually used
Strangulate is more technical or literary than strangle in many contexts. In medicine, it commonly refers to compression of a vessel or airway; figuratively, it suggests a severe restriction of movement, circulation, or development.
Easily confused with strangulate
Strangle is the common word for killing or severely restricting someone by pressure on the neck, while strangulate is more technical and is especially used for compression that obstructs circulation or flow.