slather

1 of 2

noun

slath·​er ˈsla-t͟hər 

: a great quantity

—often used in plural

slather

2 of 2

verb

slathered; slathering ˈsla-t͟hə-riŋ 

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

In other words, at diners where customers might slather pats on pancakes or at bistros with bread baskets, butter must be the default. —Karla Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026

So that's double the reason to slather on SPF regularly—understood! —Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 8 Apr. 2026

Verb

Lagomarsini slathered the oxtails with the glaze, which was dangerously sticky. —Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

Our Test Kitchen turned this classic dessert into a rich vanilla ice cream slathered with homemade strawberry sauce. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for slather

• gather
• lather
• rather