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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smother
Dee Dee Kerscher, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
These Asian species spread very easily to natural areas, where their vigorous growth smothers native plants.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Sep. 2025
About 50 firefighters had been assigned to smother the blaze in hills north of Vacaville.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Verb
This method helps smother developing weeds, depriving them of sunlight and the water needed to survive.
—Dee Dee Kerscher, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
These Asian species spread very easily to natural areas, where their vigorous growth smothers native plants.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
Noun
In Philadelphia, they are traditionally served with ribeye steak, smothered with provolone or Cheez-Whiz in a white bun.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Sep. 2025
About 50 firefighters had been assigned to smother the blaze in hills north of Vacaville.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smother
Verb
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He was then stabbed and strangled to death, Evans said.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
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Daryl charges inside and fights off walkers before strangling Chofo in the bathtub.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Young stifled the 2021 Finals MVP throughout.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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The unprecedented internet blackout came without public warning and was immediately attributed to an order from the Taliban, a repressive Islamist regime that has stifled personal freedoms, particularly those of women and girls, since taking power in 2021.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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All three of the boot styles, alongside a product manifest and brand artifacts — all buried in a container designed to withstand the elements, much like its contents.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
3 Oct. 2025
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Later, the researchers send in ultrasonic waves when the same object is hidden in a complex environment, such as a steel ball buried in sand.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Secure lid on food processor and remove center piece of food chute to allow steam to escape.—
Elizabeth Mervosh,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
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One can make the case that many voters are also willing to be selective in their vision—the right’s defense of free speech gathered steam despite the Republican Party suffering from even more seemingly intractable internal contradictions on the issue.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Previous unbeatens Florida State and USC — favorites — choked on the road.—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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In the afterglow of her magnificent album, choke enough, and the birth of her first child, Marylou Mayniel decamps to the southwest of France.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Multiple fire departments worked to suppress the blaze, police said.—
Charles Ventura,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Tigers pitchers, meanwhile, rank 14th in suppressing home runs.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For Woodruff, The Green Kitchen was born out of her own healing journey after overcoming the Epstein-Barr virus and heavy metal toxicity through mindful eating and nutrient-dense foods.—
Wyles Daniel,
AZCentral.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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The six-week course, according to a syllabus, blends positive thinking with business and money strategies, offering advice on how to outwork the competition, manage ego, overcome failure and set goals — with homework assignments included.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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An excellent crosser of the ball, though, so every cloud.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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At its core, the cloud is a model analogous to electricity, water, and other utilities; computing is a commodified service, generated at a remote location (in this case, a data center) and delivered through a network (here, the internet).—
Asad Ramzanali,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smother. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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