as in suffocating
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in strangling
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 stifling
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 burying
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
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 smothering
Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
On the table next to Captain Purdie’s bunk is what looks like a copper coin, a fringe of glutinous seaweed smothering it to the surface of the wood.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Tight end Dalton Kincaid continues to be a steady target in the middle of the field, and the Buffalo defense has been just as dominant, smothering passing attacks and forcing timely turnovers.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Liam Berlien was credited with smothering the ball, giving his team a first down at the East Ridge 7-yard line.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
Both of the Ichabods’ touchdowns in this game came on screen passes, which was easily the most effective way Washburn attacked an otherwise smothering defense.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
An offseason of change came to fruition under the lights at Bank of America Stadium on Friday night, with first-year head coach Dowell Loggains’ Appalachian State Mountaineers smothering the Charlotte 49ers from start to finish, grabbing a 34-11 season-opening victory.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 30 Aug. 2025
Naomi is a textbook Jewish mother, nagging and cajoling and smothering her children with logorrheic abandon.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Led by Parker, Allen has star power and depth reminiscent of the smothering 2017 to 2019 units the allowed less than 290 yards per game.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
The Agfabric frost blanket is a simple way to protect plants from frost, wind and pests without smothering them.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
On the table next to Captain Purdie’s bunk is what looks like a copper coin, a fringe of glutinous seaweed smothering it to the surface of the wood.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Tight end Dalton Kincaid continues to be a steady target in the middle of the field, and the Buffalo defense has been just as dominant, smothering passing attacks and forcing timely turnovers.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Liam Berlien was credited with smothering the ball, giving his team a first down at the East Ridge 7-yard line.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
Both of the Ichabods’ touchdowns in this game came on screen passes, which was easily the most effective way Washburn attacked an otherwise smothering defense.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
An offseason of change came to fruition under the lights at Bank of America Stadium on Friday night, with first-year head coach Dowell Loggains’ Appalachian State Mountaineers smothering the Charlotte 49ers from start to finish, grabbing a 34-11 season-opening victory.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 30 Aug. 2025
Naomi is a textbook Jewish mother, nagging and cajoling and smothering her children with logorrheic abandon.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Led by Parker, Allen has star power and depth reminiscent of the smothering 2017 to 2019 units the allowed less than 290 yards per game.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothering
Adjective
-
Doors and windows were locked, producing a suffocating effect in the hot weather.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
-
For Perrie Edwards, the studio can be both a sanctuary and a suffocating cocoon.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When Josh got home five minutes later, Martin met him at the door with a knife and chased him upstairs, stabbing him and then strangling him with a belt or a rope, Evans said.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
China, in turn, imposed new strangling restrictions on the export of seven rare earth minerals.—
Mira Rapp-Hooper,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The space was stifling in the Louisiana heat, so fans were blowing for everyone inside.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Like the face-to-face collaboration benefits lost at GISS, employees fear shutting down Goddard's cafeteria will be stifling.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Enclose your hostas with a 1-foot-high circle of mesh, also burying it 6 inches below ground.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
-
His lover died in shock and horror that Regis was capable of such violence, and a vampire hunter did the rest of the work by staking, decapitating, and burying him next to Bethané’s corpse.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
After a summer of oppressive heat, October is when New York City hits its stride.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Raducanu had her blood pressure taken during the match, which was played in oppressive heat and humidity, before retiring down 6-1, 4-1.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The suspect, Mario Camacho, 27, was reportedly armed with a knife and choking his younger brother.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
For younger children, this is a matter of safety, since toys intended for older kids can contain small parts that pose choking hazards or materials that aren’t safe to chew.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The White House’s efforts to centralize federal grantmaking, restrict free speech, erase public data and expand surveillance mirror China’s successful playbook for building scientific capacity while suppressing dissent.—
Kenneth M. Evans,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The basic idea is that oxidative stress is a signal that tells your body to adapt and get stronger, so suppressing that signal by taking antioxidants results in less training adaptation.—
Alex Hutchinson,
Outside,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Key challenges to commercialization include creating a material that is both safe and highly conductive and overcoming the high costs of mass production.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Castellani and Muritiba spoke about how the United States can learn from Brazil and their country’s history of overcoming fascism.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothering. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share