slather

1 of 2

noun

slath·​er ˈsla-t͟hər How to pronounce slather (audio)
: a great quantity
often used in plural

slather

2 of 2

verb

slathered; slathering ˈsla-t͟hə-riŋ How to pronounce slather (audio)
ˈslat͟h-riŋ

transitive verb

1
: to use or spend in a wasteful or lavish manner : squander
2
a
: to spread thickly or lavishly
slathered sunscreen on her skin
b
: to spread something thickly or lavishly on
slathered her skin with sunscreen

Examples of slather in a Sentence

Verb We ate lobster slathered with butter.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Body Oil has the same alluring concoction of jasmine, saffron, cedarwood, and ambergris notes so your loved ones can slather said notes all over their bodies—oo la la. Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 27 Sep. 2024 For smoother skin from the neck downwards, slather on Eos' body lotion. Sarah Han, Allure, 18 July 2024
Verb
By Sarah Han Beauty Products The Best Natural Body Oils for Summer The thought of slathering oil all over your body in the sticky, humid summer may sound as comfortable as wearing soaking-wet jeans. Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 28 Sep. 2024 Near the end of 2019’s Joker, helmer Todd Phillips' cinematic whirlwind of brutality, chaos, and trauma, the filmmaker directed star Joaquin Phoenix to stand atop the twisted wreckage of a car crash and slather a bloody smile across his face with his hand while Gotham City burned around him. EW.com, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for slather 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slather.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1843, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of slather was in 1843

Dictionary Entries Near slather

Cite this Entry

“Slather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slather. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

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