1
as in to strangle
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
children should never play inside discarded appliances because they could become trapped and smother
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
he quickly smothered his inappropriate laughter at the funeral ceremony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to bury
to defeat by a large margin
the soccer team smothered their first few opponents in the championships, but lost narrowly in the final round
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smother
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
One night in 1983, the two smothered Smith’s kitchen in corn kernels.
—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
10 Apr. 2026
South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday.
—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smother
Verb
Up in the attic, a melty miasma smothers the thick winter coats, which hurt me to even look at.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
One night in 1983, the two smothered Smith’s kitchen in corn kernels.
—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
Noun
Listen again: The wallop of the beat starts to bolster the sweep of violin rather than smother it.
—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
10 Apr. 2026
South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday.
—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smother
Verb
-
Instead of having a thousand flowers bloom, a thousand weeds end up strangling them.
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She was likely strangled, the pathologist concluded.
Verb
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The governor has raised concerns that the tax would drive the state’s wealthiest residents out of California, doing long-term damage to the state’s tax base and stifling innovation.
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After feeling stifled in the corporate world, Gaudin said Inches has given him the freedom to embrace his creativity and show other LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs that ownership is possible.
Verb
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Despite the lack of goals, the game was exciting with end-to-end runs and missed chances that left fans of both teams groaning and burying their heads in their hands.
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After receiving a pass in the right side of the box, Dembélé very patiently made his way to his left before burying yet another left-footed strike into the goal.
Noun
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Best steam cleaners This compact cleaner can easily clean hard-to-reach areas, thanks to its 15-foot cord and 9-foot hose.
-
In contrast, upgrading compressor or steam systems is bread-and-butter work; large manufacturers are far more comfortable with those standard interventions.
Verb
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The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Russia's efforts on the battlefield, Western officials and analysts say, and heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Remove chokes from artichokes and steam in small amount of water for 15 minutes, adding water to pan as needed.
Verb
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Things like trying to disqualify the entire Utah County Attorney's Office, trying to get some of the evidence suppressed, trying to get a contempt order because the prosecutors violated the court's gag order.
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One key group that appeared to be suppressed, Prevotella species, may interfere with the production of nitric oxide.
Verb
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Rather than be benched, Devers batted cleanup, overcame an 0-for-3 start, and singled up the middle in the seventh to score Bryce Eldridge, who narrowly beat a tag at the plate for a 3-1 lead.
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Its highly specialized strategy likely evolved to take advantage of the ant’s natural aggression and then overcome its defenses; the slingshot mechanism flings the ant from the foraging trail, reducing the risk that the spider will be swarmed by other workers, the researchers hypothesized.
Noun
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Poor caching quietly increases latency, cloud cost, battery usage and backend load at scale.
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Channel the optimism of a 2016 summer with short nails that look like clouds of cotton candy.
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smother. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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