WordGarden.iostrangulation
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /strˈænɡjʊlˈeɪʃən/
US
- /ˌstræŋɡjəˈleɪʃən/
Meanings
Noun
the act of compressing the neck or blocking breathing to injure or kill
dangerous constriction of tissue or an organ that cuts off blood supply
severe restriction, suppression, or stifling pressure
Beyond the definition
Strangulation is most often the act of pressing or tightening around the neck so that breathing or blood flow is cut off. People usually use the word when talking about violence, assault, or a medical emergency, and it carries a very serious tone. It is close in meaning to choking or suffocation, but it often suggests outside pressure rather than food or something stuck in the throat.
The word also appears in legal, police, and medical writing because even a short event can cause severe harm without clear marks on the skin. In a wider medical sense, it can describe a body part or organ whose blood supply has been cut off by pressure, as in a strangulated hernia. Whether used literally or in a figurative way, the word suggests something dangerous being cut off or squeezed so tightly that normal life cannot continue.
Strangulation is the act of squeezing or compressing the neck so that breathing or blood flow is blocked. In everyday English, the word is most strongly linked to violent assault, especially in domestic abuse cases, and it describes an event that can become deadly very quickly. It comes from Old French estrangler, meaning "to throttle," and the word has long carried a sense of force, danger, and severe bodily harm.
In legal, forensic, and medical contexts, the word can be used more precisely. People may speak of manual strangulation, done with the hands, or ligature strangulation, done with an object such as a rope, cord, or belt. Some texts also mention positional strangulation or similar terms when the body's position causes dangerous pressure that stops normal breathing or circulation. In all of these cases, the central idea is the same: outside pressure cuts off something vital.
The word also has an important medical use beyond injuries to the neck. Doctors may describe a strangulated hernia when tissue is trapped so tightly that its blood supply is cut off, creating an emergency that may require surgery. This broader use keeps the same basic image of the word: something essential is being shut down by pressure.
Even when a person survives, the damage can be serious and sometimes permanent. A victim may show few or no visible marks, yet still suffer brain injury, swelling, voice changes, or delayed medical problems. That is one reason the word sounds so severe in police reports, court cases, and news stories: it points to a hidden but extreme level of danger.
Beyond the literal sense, "strangulation" also works as a metaphor for intense pressure or restriction. A writer might describe "economic strangulation" when debt, sanctions, or control measures are slowly crushing a business or a country. In that figurative use, no one is being physically harmed, but the image is still one of life, movement, or growth being cut off.
Examples
- 1
Cause of death
The coroner said the cause of death was strangulation.
- 2
Manual strangulation
The report described bruising that suggested manual strangulation.
- Phrasemanual strangulation
strangulation using the hands
- 3
Criminal charge
He was charged with attempted strangulation after the attack.
- 4
Domestic violence
In many places, strangulation is treated as a serious form of domestic violence.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Economic pressure
Critics said the blockade was an act of economic strangulation.
- Phraseeconomic strangulation
extreme pressure that cuts off normal activity or trade
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- manual strangulation
- ligature strangulation
- death by strangulation
Word family
Explore
- neck compression
- asphyxiation
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- strangulationnoun
Forms
- strangulationspluralnoun