smother

verb smoth·er \ ˈsmə-t͟hər \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: smother in a Sentence

Definition of smother

smothered; smothering play \ˈsmə-t͟hə-riŋ, ˈsmət͟h-riŋ\

transitive verb

1 a : 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

2 a : 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

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Examples of smother in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of smother from the Web

There are clips of the entire family, Bey pregnant with the twins, Jay being smothered with kisses from Blue, and Sir and Rumi's adorable baby wrists.

— refinery29.com, "Okay Beyhive, Let's Go Over Everything We Know About OTR II," 7 June 2018
Farmers say last month’s floods smothered their taro patches with mud and silt, which turns their crop watery and spongey.

— audrey mcavoy, BostonGlobe.com, "Shortage of key Hawaii crop expected after rains swamp farms," 28 May 2018
Farmers say last month’s floods smothered their taro patches with mud and silt, which turns their crop watery and spongey.

— Washington Post, "Shortage of key Hawaii crop expected after rains swamp farms," 28 May 2018
Farmers say last month’s floods smothered their taro patches with mud and silt, which turns their crop watery and spongey.

— audrey mcavoy, The Seattle Times, "Shortage of key Hawaii crop expected after rains swamp farms," 28 May 2018
The houses are small and smothered in dust; the villagers thin and poor.

— New York Times, "Killer Dogs Take 14 Lives. Did Closing Slaughterhouses Play a Role?," 22 May 2018
One of the women found that her hand, smothered in deconstructed marshmallows, stuck unappealingly to her wineglass.

— elizabeth barber, The New Yorker, "An Ad-Hoc Campfire for City Tipplers," 3 May 2018
But by far the book is also steeped in terror, which seeps into every story and can be smothering in its offhand universality.

— steve donoghue, The Christian Science Monitor, "Rania Abouzeid's book 'No Turning Back,' about the Syrian civil war, is eloquent and devastating," 19 Mar. 2018
An Ode to Detroit Dog includes a natural-casing hot dog smothered in brisket chili and drizzled with habanero queso sauce.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Ranking the 10 craziest ballpark foods for the 2018 MLB season," 15 Mar. 2018

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.

First Known Use of smother

circa 1520

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

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smother Synonyms

smother

noun

Definition of smother

1 a : 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

—

smothery

play \ˈsmə-t͟hə-rē, ˈsmət͟h-rē\ adjective

Recent Examples of smother from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of smother

Middle English, alteration of smorther, from smoren to smother, from Old English smorian to suffocate; akin to Middle Dutch smoren to suffocate

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First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year