1
as in choked
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2
as in muted
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in strangled
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stifled
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 buried
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 smothered
Katelyn Umholtz,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
Breakfast is a treat, with made-from-scratch English muffins and housemade jams, plus heartier items like a smothered breakfast burrito.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Otherwise, Rhoda picks the red rice; Laurence and Oscar pick the hoppin’ John; Anthony and Brittany pick collard greens; Duyen and Brandon pick the smothered cabbage; Justin and Sherry pick potato salad; and Jonathan and Jennifer pick the hoecakes.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Robust, malty, and melt-in-your-mouth tender, this smothered cabbage recipe will warm your soul and delight your tastebuds.
—
Pableaux Johnson,
Southern Living,
25 Nov. 2025
The smothered steak biscuit is available to order in-store and online through January 2026, a Bojangles spokesperson told CharlotteFive.
—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
One night in 1983, the two smothered Smith’s kitchen in corn kernels.
—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
When doctors smothered it in ointment, about 45 larvae crawled out.
—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Scientists feared the Santa Monica Mountains’ last remaining steelhead trout were dead, smothered by debris flows unleashed by the Palisades fire.
—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Dougherty led the criminal investigation that found two sources for the fire – an old fire that had been insufficiently smothered and Xcel power lines.
—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
Brunson, smothered by the Spurs’ tenacious defense, missed shot after shot, but—clutch as ever—tied the game at 104 with an off-kilter jumper, then was in the right place to make the game-winning play when Wembanyama threw the ball away, and scored the game-winning point.
—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
The Giants’ lineup smothered the Cubs’ pitchers, hitting seven home runs and scoring the first 16 runs of the game en route to an 18-3 walloping at Wrigley Field.
—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Gilgeous-Alexander, smothered and bothered, was a minus-13 in the period.
—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
Outside of smothered biscuit sandwiches, District Biskuits also sells mac and cheese, chicken tenders with various dipping sauces, waffle fries and other sides.
—
Katelyn Umholtz,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
Breakfast is a treat, with made-from-scratch English muffins and housemade jams, plus heartier items like a smothered breakfast burrito.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Otherwise, Rhoda picks the red rice; Laurence and Oscar pick the hoppin’ John; Anthony and Brittany pick collard greens; Duyen and Brandon pick the smothered cabbage; Justin and Sherry pick potato salad; and Jonathan and Jennifer pick the hoecakes.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Robust, malty, and melt-in-your-mouth tender, this smothered cabbage recipe will warm your soul and delight your tastebuds.
—
Pableaux Johnson,
Southern Living,
25 Nov. 2025
The smothered steak biscuit is available to order in-store and online through January 2026, a Bojangles spokesperson told CharlotteFive.
—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
The creamy, rich, and cheesy potato dish is perfect alongside a short stack of pancakes smothered in their addictive butter syrup.
—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
One night in 1983, the two smothered Smith’s kitchen in corn kernels.
—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
When doctors smothered it in ointment, about 45 larvae crawled out.
—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Scientists feared the Santa Monica Mountains’ last remaining steelhead trout were dead, smothered by debris flows unleashed by the Palisades fire.
—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Dougherty led the criminal investigation that found two sources for the fire – an old fire that had been insufficiently smothered and Xcel power lines.
—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
Brunson, smothered by the Spurs’ tenacious defense, missed shot after shot, but—clutch as ever—tied the game at 104 with an off-kilter jumper, then was in the right place to make the game-winning play when Wembanyama threw the ball away, and scored the game-winning point.
—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
The Giants’ lineup smothered the Cubs’ pitchers, hitting seven home runs and scoring the first 16 runs of the game en route to an 18-3 walloping at Wrigley Field.
—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Gilgeous-Alexander, smothered and bothered, was a minus-13 in the period.
—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothered
Adjective
-
Baghaei said the future of the choked Strait of Hormuz will depend on the countries of Oman and Iran, as both nations have a plan to manage passage through the waterway.
-
San Franciscans who think Muni buses are always packed, or prone to crawl along choked streets, may find their views validated in a new slide presentation released by the Municipal Transportation Agency.
Adjective
-
Facing declining retail sales and a muted 618 shopping festival, Beijing seeks to integrate AI across consumer electronics, home appliances, wearables, retail, tourism, health, and elder care.
-
PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Tyson Foods, Kellogg's, Campbell's, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Hershey are among other big-name companies that have pledged to or already phased out certain dyes, in some cases giving us the more muted versions of snacks like Doritos, Cheetos and Trix cereal.
Verb
-
One woman says the woman who was being strangled was nearly dead when the attacker was confronted.
-
Instead, the men were beaten to death and strangled in a basement.
Verb
-
Saif Hassan scored 42 in 33 deliveries but Australia's spinners stifled Bangladesh in the middle overs.
-
But against a suffocating new-look defense spearheaded by Williams, the Valkyries stifled Plum to the tune of a season-low nine points on 3-of-10 shooting and just 2 of 3 from the free throw line.
Verb
-
What was left of other buildings were buried under piles of their own debris.
-
Long ago, the blue-skinned inhabitants committed genocide against a race of purple-skinned aliens and buried their bones beneath the earth, an event in which Krem was involved.
Adjective
-
By the time volunteer firefighters from nearby Cachagua arrived, McCord estimated that the fire was about 70% extinguished.
-
That conditional pick, acquired in August’s salary dump of Haywood Highsmith, effectively has become extinguished.
Adjective
-
Depressed wages, a weak currency and hyperinflation have continued to make life difficult for ordinary Venezuelans, many of whom struggle to afford basic goods.
-
There, the Sox scored on a weak, off-line throw from shallow left fielder José Caballero.
Verb
-
Yesterday evening, two more people drowned while trying to cool off, including a six-year-old child, bringing the number of drowning victims to at least 42 across France since June 18, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.
-
There, deputies discovered that Bland had drowned her daughter Emii in a bathtub, according to an arrest report.
Cite this Entry
“Smothered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothered. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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