variants
or smoulder
1
as in to anger
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
She smoldered when first learning of her son's misbehavior at school, but had calmed down by the time he arrived home.
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2
as in to blaze
to be on fire usually with smoke but few flames
They look forward to those long summer nights telling stories beside a smoldering campfire.
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of smolder
Finally, Burning Rose is a smoldering floral blend that grounds rose petals and violet in birch and ebony wood.
—
Jenny Berg, Allure, 5 Dec. 2025
While firefighters contained the blaze on Friday and doused the still-smouldering towers, families had the grim task of looking at photographs of the dead taken by rescue workers.
—Joyce Zhou, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Smoke rising from the smoldering high-rise apartments.
—Jay Ganglani, NBC news, 27 Nov. 2025
Even so, Teller’s chatty anxiousness does contrast well with Turner’s smoldering, confident melancholy.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Jenny Berg, Allure, 5 Dec. 2025
While firefighters contained the blaze on Friday and doused the still-smouldering towers, families had the grim task of looking at photographs of the dead taken by rescue workers.
—Joyce Zhou, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Smoke rising from the smoldering high-rise apartments.
—Jay Ganglani, NBC news, 27 Nov. 2025
Even so, Teller’s chatty anxiousness does contrast well with Turner’s smoldering, confident melancholy.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder
Verb
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Obama’s enthusiastic showings for both candidates was a test of whether his sway over the Democratic Party still remains after his support for Harris failed to boost her to the White House a year ago and angered black male voters who felt unfairly accused of sexism.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement has angered many Americans by wearing masks while on duty, attacking peaceful protesters and arresting mostly people with no criminal record.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Lenovo came out all guns blazing at CES 2026, using its biggest global stage yet to signal major leaps across devices, AI, and partnerships.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Bears continue living that chorus out loud, devoted to chasing improvement with the blazing competitive fire exhibited by their head coach.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday, high winds pushed over a tractor trailer on the southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway near Pyramid Lake, snarling traffic for several miles.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Television cameras caught Adebayo snarling dismissively.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Walk out of a play’s shadows back into the clear light of day without a there to take with you, and even a burning cauldron will become little more than a brief candle.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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Veg/cm/61 Fire has been burning on private land.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Acorn squash can be baked, roasted, or steamed for a tasty side dish.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
6 Nov. 2025
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Humidity often corrodes cables and steams camera lenses.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The luxury Swiss Alps nightclub where at least 40 people were killed and nearly 120 others were injured in a New Year’s Eve inferno, had previously released a promotional video advertising flaming champagne bottles, which authorities deemed the cause of the tragedy.—
Emma Bussey , Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
2 Jan. 2026
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Finish with a cremaet, Valencian coffee flamed with rum infused with lemon and cinnamon.—
Siobhan Reid,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The Dolphins snapped a five-game losing streak against Buffalo.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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The Horned Frogs outgained Iowa State 432-272, but failed to come out on top as the Cyclones snapped their four-game losing streak.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The 20th Century and Disney pic is coming well ahead of expectations, thanks to glowing reviews and equally growing audience reaction.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Nov. 2025
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At that point, out of the vast and silent ether, messages will come glowing into your inbox one after another.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolder. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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