smother

verb

smoth·er | \ ˈsmə-t͟hər

smothered; smothering\ ˈsmə-t͟hə-riŋ

, ˈsmət͟h-riŋ \

Definition of smother

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to kill by depriving of air

b : to suppress (a fire) by excluding oxygen

c : to overcome or discomfit through or as if through lack of air

2a : to suppress expression or knowledge of smothered his rage

b : to stop or prevent the growth or activity of smother a child with too much care also : overwhelm

c : to cover thickly : blanket snow smothered the trails

d : to overcome or vanquish quickly or decisively

e : to cause to smolder

3 : to overcome or kill with smoke or fumes

4 : to cook in a covered pan or pot with little liquid over low heat

intransitive verb

: to be overcome or killed through or as if through lack of air

smother

noun

Definition of smother (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : thick stifling smoke or smudge

b : a state of being stifled or suppressed

2 : a dense cloud (as of fog or dust)

3 : a confused multitude of things : welter

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Synonyms for smother

Synonyms: Verb

choke, stifle, strangle, suffocate

Examples of smother in a Sentence

Verb

He tried to smother her with a pillow. She smothered the fire with a blanket.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The user would smash the glass into a fire to release flame-smothering chemicals. — Emily Matchar, Smithsonian, "Seven Inventions For a Safer Fourth of July," 3 July 2019 Local and international health officials are scrambling to smother a flare-up of Ebola in Uganda, which spread this week from a massive, months-long outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Ebola spreads in Uganda, but not an international emergency, WHO says [Updated]," 14 June 2019 Firefighters pumped over 500 gallons of foam to smother the blaze, authorities said. — Houston Chronicle, "FEMA trailer parts destroyed in Liberty County blaze," 7 July 2019 Fish populations simultaneously declined because of the low oxygen levels and a layer of hot water that was hypersalty, which caused it to settle to the bay floor like a warm blanket, smothering sea life. — Kate Stein, Scientific American, "Climate Change Throws a Wrench in Everglades Restoration," 21 June 2019 Peele’s movies are anomalies in a movie world regularly smothered by the Marvel Cinematic Universe and superheroics that feel a little less super each year, even when the movies work. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "Why moviegoing isn’t dead yet, despite rumors to the contrary," 19 June 2019 The sun is smothered by smoke and everything turns red. — The Economist, "What caused Australia’s devastating bushfires?," 15 June 2019 The challenge will be to develop industry-leading self-driving technology without getting smothered by the automakers' bureaucracies. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "The hype around driverless cars came crashing down in 2018," 30 Dec. 2018 O’Hara’s council district includes Leilani Estates, the neighborhood where lava burst through cracks in people’s backyards on May 3, and Kapoho, a beach town smothered by lava. — Audrey Mcavoy, The Seattle Times, "Hawaii grapples with lava, hurricane as election nears," 6 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The 40-minute mindset, the smother-ous defense, the varied scoring options. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Georgia State game was the best and worst of UC basketball," 16 Mar. 2018 Excessive moisture smothers and kills roots, leading to discolored and dying foliage. — Debbie Arrington, sacbee, "Spray or drip irrigation: Which way is best for your garden?," 20 Oct. 2017 Smothers, who lived in the unit block of Osborne Road, was pronounced dead at the scene. — David Anderson, The Aegis, "Charges dropped in 2016 Aberdeen double homicide," 25 Aug. 2017 Smothers remains in critical condition at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. — Peter Hermann, Washington Post, "Firefighters describe critically injured colleague as humble future leader," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smother.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

13 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for smother

The first known use of smother was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for smother

smother

verb

English Language Learners Definition of smother

: to kill (someone) by covering the face so that breathing is not possible

: to cover (something) in order to keep it from growing or spreading

: to try to keep (something) from happening : to try to stop doing (something)

See the full definition for smother in the English Language Learners Dictionary

smother

verb

smoth·er | \ ˈsmə-t͟hər

smothered; smothering

Kids Definition of smother

1 : to kill or injure by keeping from getting air or by exposing to smoke or fumes : suffocate

2 : to become suffocated

3 : to keep from growing or developing by or as if by covering smother a fire … anguish smothered her smallest joy.— Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising

4 : to keep from happening : suppress I tried to smother a yawn.

5 : to cover thickly The salad was smothered with dressing.