as in suffocating
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothering
Adjective
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Florida played its style of game in both outings, using a suffocating defense to limit quality chances and knowing Bobrovsky will swallow up whatever gets missed.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2025 -
And their suffocating defensive pressure will overwhelm the Boilermakers.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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He had been arrested for allegedly strangling his then-girlfriend, Johnny Faye Cartwright, in 2020.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
4 Jan. 2025
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His trouble with the law began in 2020, when he was arrested for allegedly strangling his girlfriend at an Oregon home.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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However, a lack of autonomy growing up can strongly trigger the need for independence and reinforce negative attitudes about how future relationships may continue to be stifling.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
5 Jan. 2025
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The core of their legal challenge revolves around claims that the charter agreement breaches antitrust laws by stifling competition.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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And this immensely oppressive power threatens the very foundation of legal representation in our country.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
29 Apr. 2025
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However, because ecocriticism emerged in American studies prior to the field’s transnational turn, during a time that emphasized the localized subject as resistance to an oppressive nation-state, ecocritical thought has struggled to adapt.—
Abby Clayton,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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He was inspired to learn after watching a teacher use the method to help another student who was choking.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
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Quick thinking by a 9-year-old boy in North Carolina helped save his friend who started choking at recess.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Ice protects fish eggs by suppressing winds and waves that can stir up the sediment, reducing the number of fish that hatch in the spring.—
Caitlin Looby,
Journal Sentinel,
23 Dec. 2024
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His approach promises a more collaborative regulatory framework, fostering innovation rather than suppressing it.—
Leeor Shimron,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The younger of the two, Bella, is unscathed; her sister had jumped into a pool to rescue her and ended up drowning herself.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner released its official report on Carter's death on April 18, 2023, attributing his cause of death to drowning after inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam, the generic form of brand-name Xanax.—
Johnny Dodd,
People.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Kids older than one year can be given honey to help neutralize the damage, but swallowing a button battery is a life-threatening emergency for which parents should immediately seek medical care.—
Ryan Murphy,
The Indianapolis Star,
24 Dec. 2024
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Similarly, applying a wellness patch is painless in comparison to swallowing a handful of pills.—
Emily Burns,
WWD,
23 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Smothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothering. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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