Definition of "asphyxiant" [asphyxiant]

• Inducing or tending to induce asphyxia. (adjective)
• A substance, such as a toxic gas, or an event, such as drowning, that induces asphyxia. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Although argon is non-toxic, it does not satisfy the body's need for oxygen and is thus an asphyxiant."
• "An unusual application is as an asphyxiant in the poultry industry, either for mass culling following disease outbreaks, or as a means of slaughter more humane than the electric bath."
• "It is a simple asphyxiant in significant concentrations, and it does that by definition of asphyxiation."