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
Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
Smolen scrambled and threw a high pass into the end zone, where Thompson was smothered by three defenders.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Aug. 2025
Decades of despoiling water bodies have taken a terrible toll, filling water bodies with fetid algae that blocks sunlight and smothers the native seagrass beds that are a main food source for manatees.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Verb
Etouffees, stewy mixtures served over rice whose name is derived from the French word for smothered.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
Smolen scrambled and threw a high pass into the end zone, where Thompson was smothered by three defenders.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
Because these rampant vines smother, strangle, crush, and destroy everything around them.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Aug. 2025
Decades of despoiling water bodies have taken a terrible toll, filling water bodies with fetid algae that blocks sunlight and smothers the native seagrass beds that are a main food source for manatees.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smother
Verb
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The man previously on Florida’s Death Row for beating, stabbing and strangling a La Carreta waitress with a rice cooker — before lighting a blaze to destroy key evidence — should be condemned to die, Miami prosecutors told a jury after detailing the slaying on Wednesday morning.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
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Their strategy seems to be to strangle the capital and provoke unrest against the military junta.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Between hugs and stifled tears, players walked up to sift through them.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The space was stifling in the Louisiana heat, so fans were blowing for everyone inside.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In July 2024, Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial ended by being dismissed with prejudice after his attorneys argued that prosecutors had buried evidence.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin has historically struggled to bury chances, while attackers Noah Okafor, Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto are all struggling to keep fit behind him.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Similarly, avoid using steam on moisture-sensitive and heat-sensitive items and surfaces.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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When sautéing, stir the squash often to release steam and prevent browning.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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During the previous school year, the boy strangled and choked a teacher and pulled up a female classmate’s dress and touched her inappropriately on the school playground, the lawsuit claims.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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The figure of Achilles, a warrior who singlehandedly choked a river with dead enemies before taking on the river god himself, provided a model for Alexander the Great and persists in contemporary popular entertainment, political speech, and military culture in celebrations of shock and awe.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Higher rates reduce investment, spending, and economic activity, which naturally suppresses hiring.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
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The reason for this striking look is the inhibitor gene which suppresses pigment deposition at the base of the hair shaft, giving the cat the shimmering effect.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Conversely, poor initial AI experiences create resistance that’s difficult to overcome.—
François Candelon,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
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The researchers overcame this by using molecular beam epitaxy, a precise technique for growing ultra-thin crystal layers.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The honks of wild Canada geese, for instance, fresh out of the Arctic and now high in the clouds going south, signal a change in seasons for me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Best places to view celestial events in Wisconsin The best conditions to see the night sky will be with clear skies without clouds or haze.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smother. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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