variants
or smoulders
1
as in snarls
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 blazes
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 smolders
Neighbors living near the Ontario warehouse say Abdulkarim should face more than arson charges, as equipment still smolders at the site and questionable air quality lingers after last week's massive blaze, covering an area the size of 21 football fields.
—
Austin Turner, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Throughout the compilation of clips, Kristy smiles and smolders in the mirror while using a bottle of the luxury brand's Libre Berry Crush perfume.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Blood orange and saffron ignite the air, myrrh smolders beneath, and the woods hum with market heat.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Austin Turner, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Throughout the compilation of clips, Kristy smiles and smolders in the mirror while using a bottle of the luxury brand's Libre Berry Crush perfume.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Blood orange and saffron ignite the air, myrrh smolders beneath, and the woods hum with market heat.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolders
Verb
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Security snarls The TSA PreCheck line at terminal B in LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, on March 27, 2026.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
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Beyond the red tape that snarls any new apartment, condominiums confront an additional hurdle.—
M. Nolan Gray,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Once Orion blazes through Earth's atmosphere, the protective heat shield will be cast off to make way for parachutes to deploy and slow the vehicle down.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
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Low toward the west blazes Venus, which serves as a convenient celestial landmark to make a sighting of Mercury, which will be hovering not far from it.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This all comes as the legal fight over the audit steams ahead, over 15 months after 72% of the state signed off on the ballot measure.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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Mile End's Bohème Vintage stocks quality wool and denim, and steams them right behind the counter.—
Charlie Hobbs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When the clip concludes, Beth and Rip are seen walking away together while a building burns behind them.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
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This fire burns always The family believes their three-story home used to be apartments long before the fire, with each floor representing a residence.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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LaCava said the change seems like another city policy that angers many residents without major impact.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
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What angers me is thinking about what could have been.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Trump seethes with hatred and erupts in volcanic fury to denounce, demonize, disparage and threaten anyone who refuses to support his increasingly irrational and harmful proposals and actions.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
2 Feb. 2026
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The river tumbles and seethes through 278 miles of Grand Canyon National Park, taking its geologic time in carving a trench now deeper than a mile.—
Brandon Loomis,
AZCentral.com,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Sharon Stone glows in a white pantsuit and sunglasses for the premiere of Magnolia's Normal in Los Angeles on April 15.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
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The matte does look quite stylish and helps accentuate the new colors — the old version only glows orange.—
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy,
The Verge,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That meticulousness snaps into crystal-clear focus when Cronin talks about process.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
14 Apr. 2026
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In the adorable family snaps, Khloé, who shares her children with ex Tristan Thompson, included several selfies, solo shots and group pictures of the Kardashian's cousin crew.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smolders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolders. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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