smolder

verb

smol·​der ˈsmōl-dər 

variants or smoulder

smoldered or smouldered; smoldering or smouldering ˈsmōl-d(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to burn sluggishly, without flame, and often with much smoke

b

: to be consumed by smoldering

—often used with out

2

: to exist in a state of suppressed activity

hostilities smoldered for years

3

: to show suppressed anger, hate, or jealousy

eyes smoldering with hate

Examples of smolder in a Sentence

The remains of the campfire smoldered.

Her eyes smoldered with anger.

Anger smoldered in my heart.

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, trace your finger to its peak, which, to me, was his starring role as smoldering special forces operative Scott McCoy in the 1986 action movie The Delta Force, co-starring a frail-looking but grizzled and unsmiling Lee Marvin in his last movie. —John Devore, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026

Bodies were still being pulled from the smoldering remains of the hospital on Tuesday morning. —Abdul Qahar Afghan, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026

In a post on X, Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat announced the attack and death toll after social media footage showed the smoldering ruin of the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 17 Mar. 2026

For about a week, the fire smoldered at low intensity, doing its work on a patch of roughly 120 acres. —New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English smolderen to smother, from smolder smoke, smudge; akin to Middle Dutch smōlen to smolder

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for smolder

• bolder
• bowlder
• colder
• folder
• golder
• holder
• molder
• moulder
• older
• polder
• shoulder
• beholder

Kids Definition

smolder

1 of 2 noun

smol·​der

variants or smoulder

ˈsmōl-dər

: a slow smoky fire

smolder

2 of 2 verb

variants or smoulder

smoldered or smouldered; smoldering or smouldering

-d(ə-)riŋ

1

: to burn slowly with smoke and usually without flame

fire was smoldering in the pit

2

: to exist or continue in a hidden or controlled state

discontent smoldered for years before the revolt

3

: to burn inwardly

anger smoldered in my heart