smoth·er
ˈsmə-t͟hər 
smothered; smothering
ˈsmə-t͟hə-riŋ
ˈsmət͟h-riŋ
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
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
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
Synonyms
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
Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
The Gamecocks' Tessa Johnson had 19 points and Kamilla Cardoso had 15 as the team smothered Iowa’s hope for its first championship title.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
The first 20 minutes were surely better than any of the Founding Four could’ve dreamed of, as Bay FC dominated Houston with 60% of the possession and a smothering style of defense.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
Smelter fumes smothered vegetation, leaving hillsides barren.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024
Benjamin’s defense was smothering, forcing the Longhorn offense to finish the contest shooting 37% from the field.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
Kizuna is known for its toro chashu ramen, which uses pork belly the restaurant ages in-house, smothered in a creamy chicken broth.
—Zoe Glasser, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
During Lent, Simone prepares a weekly fish dinner smothered in a creamy sauce with a distinct hint of nutmeg, at her home in Issy-les-Moulineaux, a suburb southwest of the city.
—Shane Mitchell, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
Meatball Garlic Knot Sliders Italian-style meatballs smothered in marinara sauce served on buttery garlic knots with Parmesan cheese.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2024
If the bacteria hypothesis was right, the rusting could gradually smother streams almost anywhere there's permafrost—an area that includes about one fourth of the Northern Hemisphere.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023
Soaps and oils smother overwintering scales and insect eggs and are least harmful to beneficial insects.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2024
More specifically, the Chargers must contend with dynamic quarterback Lamar Jackson and a defense that can smother.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023
But first, an update on my ongoing quest to find the cheapest, easiest and most effective way to smother weeds and unwanted lawns to create drought-tolerant landscapes and better soil.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Teigen, 37, captioned a video shared on Instagram where she and Legend, 44, smother 11-week-old Wren’s check with kisses.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2023
If the runoff were to carry fertilizers or sewage rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, Smith said the reefs could also run the risk of an algae bloom, which can overgrow and smother corals.
—Kate Selig, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2023
Because these rampant vines smother, strangle, crush, and destroy everything around them.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 7 July 2023
Verb
Coworkers Watched Chris Watts 'Get More and More Unhappy with His Life' Before Family Murders
In August 2018, the property became a crime scene after Chris strangled his wife Shanann and smothered their two young daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
The Gamecocks' Tessa Johnson had 19 points and Kamilla Cardoso had 15 as the team smothered Iowa’s hope for its first championship title.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
The first 20 minutes were surely better than any of the Founding Four could’ve dreamed of, as Bay FC dominated Houston with 60% of the possession and a smothering style of defense.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
Smelter fumes smothered vegetation, leaving hillsides barren.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024
Benjamin’s defense was smothering, forcing the Longhorn offense to finish the contest shooting 37% from the field.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
Kizuna is known for its toro chashu ramen, which uses pork belly the restaurant ages in-house, smothered in a creamy chicken broth.
—Zoe Glasser, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
During Lent, Simone prepares a weekly fish dinner smothered in a creamy sauce with a distinct hint of nutmeg, at her home in Issy-les-Moulineaux, a suburb southwest of the city.
—Shane Mitchell, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
Meatball Garlic Knot Sliders Italian-style meatballs smothered in marinara sauce served on buttery garlic knots with Parmesan cheese.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
Looking to smother and cover that special someone with love this Valentine's Day?
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2024
If the bacteria hypothesis was right, the rusting could gradually smother streams almost anywhere there's permafrost—an area that includes about one fourth of the Northern Hemisphere.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023
Soaps and oils smother overwintering scales and insect eggs and are least harmful to beneficial insects.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2024
More specifically, the Chargers must contend with dynamic quarterback Lamar Jackson and a defense that can smother.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023
But first, an update on my ongoing quest to find the cheapest, easiest and most effective way to smother weeds and unwanted lawns to create drought-tolerant landscapes and better soil.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Teigen, 37, captioned a video shared on Instagram where she and Legend, 44, smother 11-week-old Wren’s check with kisses.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2023
If the runoff were to carry fertilizers or sewage rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, Smith said the reefs could also run the risk of an algae bloom, which can overgrow and smother corals.
—Kate Selig, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2023
Because these rampant vines smother, strangle, crush, and destroy everything around them.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 7 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smother.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near smother
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smother. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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