SINCE 1828
smother
verb
smoth·er
| \ ˈsmə-t͟hər
\
\
smothered;
smothering\ ˈsmə-t͟hə-riŋ
, ˈsmət͟h-riŋ \
, ˈsmət͟h-riŋ \
Definition of smother
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
: to be overcome or killed through or as if through lack of air
smother
nounDefinition 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
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from smother
Noun
smothery
\ ˈsmə-t͟hə-rē
, ˈsmət͟h-rē \
adjective
, ˈsmət͟h-rē \
adjective
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
Life is short, and what’s left of the fire in my incandescent anarcho-punk heart has been smothered enough. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "How to Cook Anything with a Torch," 8 Feb. 2019 Marybeth Tinning was convicted of murder in 1987 for smothering Tami Lynne. — Chris Carola, Fox News, "Woman who killed daughter in '80s granted parole on 7th try," 16 July 2018 For years, Fernandez was beaten, shot with a BB gun, smothered with pepper spray, made to wear girl’s clothes to school, forced to eat his own vomit and locked in a small cabinet with a sock stuffed in his mouth, his brother testified. — NBC News, "Death of Anthony Avalos has parallels to another child abuse case in L.A.," 8 July 2018 Salmon proved to be another stretch and a miss, nicely cooked but smothered with maple glaze that hung around like a clown at a birthday party. — Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, "Review: The Winchester British pub fires blanks on Broadway," 21 June 2018 Her entire nose, naturally, is fully covered in a brightening concealer, while her cheeks are painted with a darker contour color and her forehead is artfully smothered in what appears to be her true foundation shade. — Andrea Park, Allure, "Kim Kardashian Tells Mommy-Shamers to Relax After Posting a Video of Daughter North Putting on Makeup," 14 Sep. 2018 The perfection of summer just waiting to be burst open with its juicy red fruit dripping down your face as your dangle your feet in a pool while smothered in sunscreen and floaties hug your arms. — Melissa Farley, USA TODAY, "Adorable kid drops watermelon. We all feel the pain and relate to the struggle that is life," 2 July 2018 Jet fuel started small fires along the side of the road, which firefighters later smothered in a white sea of foam. — Avi Selk, Washington Post, "‘A C-130 literally just dropped out of the sky:’ A deadly plane crash stuns drivers in Savannah," 3 May 2018 The post-mortem revealed the girl had been tortured, raped, strangled and smothered. — Anchorage Daily News, "India approves death penalty for raping young girls in wake of 8-year-old’s brutal death," 22 Apr. 2018Recent 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. 2017These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
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.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on smother
What made you want to look up smother? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
A Green Quiz
-
- What is the best definition of green-eyed monster?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
A Green Quiz
How many questions can you answer about the word "green"?
Take the quiz -
Return of Name that Color!
Additional colors! More obscure than before!
Take the quiz -
True or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Take the quiz -
Citation
Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?
Play the game
Share smother
Resources for smother