1
as in to strangle
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
children should never play inside discarded appliances because they could become trapped and smother
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
he quickly smothered his inappropriate laughter at the funeral ceremony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to bury
to defeat by a large margin
the soccer team smothered their first few opponents in the championships, but lost narrowly in the final round
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smother
Daily News, 14 May 2026
More recently, massive desalination plants, which often double as electric power plants, have been dumping hot brine that rapidly sinks, smothering life at the Gulf’s bottom, Riegl says.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
Walker, a fourth-year pro, rushed for a game-high 135 yards as Seattle’s offense did enough to let its defense smother New England into submission.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smother
Verb
Moments later, Harris pressed again, but Marcinkowski smothered the shot at point-blank range to keep the visitors’ halftime deficit at 2-0.
—Daily News, 14 May 2026
More recently, massive desalination plants, which often double as electric power plants, have been dumping hot brine that rapidly sinks, smothering life at the Gulf’s bottom, Riegl says.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
Noun
South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
Walker, a fourth-year pro, rushed for a game-high 135 yards as Seattle’s offense did enough to let its defense smother New England into submission.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smother
Verb
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Just as with Weaver, Vesey was bound with electrical cords before she was raped and strangled, the papers state.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
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Luis Benitez-Gonzalez, a 26-year-old previously deported Mexican national, is accused of strangling two women in the area of Austin, Texas, in 2018 and 2024.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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That stifles competition at home and, with China’s dependence on global consumption, raises concerns about dumping and deflation abroad.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
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Embarrassed in the first period, stifled in the second, the Avs did something that almost never happens in this town with this team.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The text card at the close of the episode notes that between 1980 and 1988, more than 200,000 Iranians were killed during the war, while over 15,000 Iranian political prisoners were executed and buried in mass graves.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 May 2026
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Actor Billy Gardell, a Pittsburgh native, walks a new security guard through it all with the schedule buried at the end.—
Teresa M. Walker,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
Noun
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By trapping in the steam, the pressure builds and flavors are often more concentrated.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
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The pool is heated with steam exhaust, and recycling and food-waste reduction programs are in full swing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The intensifying conflict in the Middle East has choked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz – a vital route for roughly 20% of the world’s oil, natural gas and critical raw materials.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
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The lawsuit also claims officers choked Day and slammed him against a wall, eventually coercing him into confessing to killing Irving and Garcia.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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At scale, the petty-minded bureaucrats implementing an agenda to sanitize American history, and to erase or suppress political dissent, have committed and will continue to commit a great deal of mischief.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
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Florida Forest Service Senior Forester Michelle Danielson said aerial crews from the Broward Sheriff's Office and the National Guard assisted with water drops to help suppress the fire and protect nearby communities.—
Manuel Bojorquez,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Detroit allowed Cleveland to sprint to a 22-0 run to start the second half that took the Cavaliers from a four-point halftime deficit to an 18-point lead the Pistons were never able to overcome.—
Darnell Mayberry,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
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To overcome this, researchers at ETH Zurich used a subtler effect called the geometric phase, which exploits the path taken by atoms through an artificial ‘crystal of light’ built from intersecting laser beams.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Some lightning occurs deep within clouds or is too weak to register clearly from orbit.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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Their tiered form nods to the cloud terrace motif that appears repeatedly in New Mexico’s indigenous Pueblo art and architecture.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smother. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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