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
Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Georgia’s son Austin, who was playing hide-and-seek and hiding in the closet of Tom’s room, witnessed his mom smother Tom with a pillow.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2025
Minnesota took the last meeting between these teams by a commanding 88-65 margin, combining smothering defense with balanced scoring.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Verb
Seconds later, Kerry Condon and Damson Idris pop up from their seats and smother the smiling Spanish actor.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Georgia’s son Austin, who was playing hide-and-seek and hiding in the closet of Tom’s room, witnessed his mom smother Tom with a pillow.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Noun
Cherry admitted to smothering 5-year-old Zoey Felix in 2023.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2025
Minnesota took the last meeting between these teams by a commanding 88-65 margin, combining smothering defense with balanced scoring.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smother
Verb
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Donald has two open criminal contempt cases, including one for allegedly strangling his husband twice in one night, PIX11 reported, citing prosecutors.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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Myers was strangled with her pantyhose, and Eckart with her shoelace and a strap from her overalls.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That’s when, particularly in the tech space, incumbents have the greatest incentive to stifle new technologies.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Further, whites used the threat of racist violence, tacitly approved by elites, to stifle efforts to empower the Black population.—
Time,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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YouTube siphons up to 45% of ad revenue; Spotify pays artists less than a penny per stream; TikTok’s algorithm can bury a post without warning.—
Tomer Warschauer Nuni,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The Iranians had built a uranium-enrichment facility at Fordo and buried it inside a mountain — nearly 300 feet beneath the surface.—
Yossi Melman,
ProPublica,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Simply Steamed offers seafood steam pots ready to cook at home or your vacation rental.—
Erin Gifford,
Southern Living,
8 Aug. 2025
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Facility Use: Use the cold plunge, sauna, steam room and hot tub at your own risk.—
Evan Moore
August 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Montgomery County Jail records showed that the athlete was arrested following an incident at his home that same morning and is accused of assaulting and choking or suffocating an individual.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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He was accused of choking Jacob and then two hours later choking him again and hitting him in the face.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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One woman described witnessing the harms of diseases that have been suppressed by vaccination, noting that her mother has experienced weakness in her limbs as the result of a childhood polio infection.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 Aug. 2025
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Four engines, one water tender, two dozers and two hand crews are working to suppress the fire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Padres are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to overcome the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League west.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Whether they’re equipped to overcome them is a legitimate question.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But by Sunday, the clouds had cleared, and so had Scottie Scheffler's path to victory.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
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Morning clouds will help cap daytime heat in Central Florida on Sunday, Spectrum News 13 meteorologist Zach Covey said.—
Elainie Barraza,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smother. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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