smothered 1 of 2

smothered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of smother
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smothered
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
Those findings, the warrant states, suggested Aria died of asphyxiation and was likely smothered before being placed in the pool. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026 An Enchirito is made with a warm flour tortilla filled with seasoned beef, refried beans and diced onions and is smothered in red sauce and melted shredded cheddar cheese. Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Dirty Dom distracted Fenix, opening up the door for McDonagh, who smothered Fenix in the corner. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 Hill’s movie, Outcome, had a dire one; Franco’s career was smothered by Time’s Up pressures. Peter Bart, Deadline, 30 July 2026 The lone incompletion Maye threw in Brown’s direction was a 20-yard, tight-window throw that Christian Gonzalez smothered. Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 30 July 2026 Garden plants often decline or die when their roots are smothered in soggy soil. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 29 July 2026 According to their expert, those types of symptoms are consistent with being smothered, and occur when something blocks air from entering the airways. Alex Brizee july 22, Idaho Statesman, 22 July 2026 Exemplary off-ball discipline and application go a long way to explaining the pattern of this game, but the extent to which Argentina were smothered in their seventh World Cup final was a huge surprise. Thom Harris, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothered
Adjective
  • However, that deal fell apart after the US unleashed a fresh wave of attacks on Iran in mid-July, following Iranian strikes on vessels in the choked Strait of Hormuz.
    Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • 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.
    Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Starbucks isn’t immune to those concerns, which is reflected in the stock’s more muted performance in recent months.
    Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 30 July 2026
  • Those who adore Kurosawa’s unsettling earlier films may be thrown off by his new movie’s relatively muted approach.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • After an opening week of wrenching testimony and a jury trip to the home where Lindsay Clancy strangled her three children, her murder trial resumes Monday with more testimony about the killings in a coastal Massachusetts town in 2023.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Both concluded that Leslie had been hit over the head and strangled.
    Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • In the late 1800s however, the Chinese Exclusion Act stifled the thriving community, and other immigrant communities began to make their mark on Gilroy.
    Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
  • Corporate employees often have income growth that can be stifled or even capped.
    Seth Lederman, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Verb
  • Navarro stepped to the spot and buried the penalty, keeping Austin winless on the road this year.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Two months after some of the most devastating airstrikes, there are still bodies buried under the rubble.
    Jane Arraf, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • By the time volunteer firefighters from nearby Cachagua arrived, McCord estimated that the fire was about 70% extinguished.
    Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Mar. 2026
  • That conditional pick, acquired in August’s salary dump of Haywood Highsmith, effectively has become extinguished.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Similar to Spokane, the windiest periods will be during the daytime from Friday through Sunday, with weaker winds each night.
    Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The next step came in 2009, when mathematicians Jordan Ellenberg, Akshay Venkatesh and Craig Westerland posted a preprint paper that claimed to prove a weaker version of the conjecture for every prime.
    Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Crump has also rejected notions from law enforcement officials that Wells may have drowned, citing the teenager’s ability to swim well and his athletic past.
    Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
  • More than 80 migrants died, including some who drowned or were trampled in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier, according to Spanish and Moroccan authorities.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Smothered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothered. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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