slather

1 of 2

verb

slath·​er ˈsla-t͟hər 

slathered; slathering ˈsla-t͟hə-riŋ 

ˈslat͟h-riŋ

transitive verb

1

a

: to spread thickly or lavishly

slathered sunscreen on her skin

b

: to spread something thickly or lavishly on

slathered her skin with sunscreen

2

: to use or spend in a wasteful or lavish manner : squander

slather

2 of 2

noun

plural slathers

: a great quantity

—often plural

Examples of slather in a Sentence

Verb

We ate lobster slathered with butter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The goat is tender and deeply savory, the perfect vehicle for slathering charred avocado and queso for a truly melt-in-your-mouth bite. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026

It’s breaded with panko and fried, placed atop a slice of New School American Cheese and slathered with a fragrant ginger-scallion-oil tartar sauce. — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

They’ll be served up with fresh asparagus and a couple of large taters slathered with butter, sour cream and chives. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026

At one point, Boyle literally slathers him in spurts of newspaper ink to literalize how much blood is on his hands. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1843, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slather

• gather
• lather
• rather