smothering 1 of 2

adjective

as in suffocating

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smothering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of smother
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stifling
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 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

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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 smothering
Verb
LeBron couldn’t even wait a week before smothering the locker room with his dissatisfaction. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026 Scottie’s punishing, smothering treatment of Judy, who bears much more than a passing resemblance to Madeleine, borders on truly terrifying to many women watching the film. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026 Stymied by the Seahawks’ smothering defense, Walker was unable to get anything going. — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2026 Prosecutors have pointed to an autopsy report that said the children’s symptoms were consistent with being smothering. — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026 That smothering defense flustered the Valkyries into committing 19 turnovers that led to 24 points for Atlanta. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 Investigators determined that Blake also had blunt-force injuries and signs of smothering. — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 And none of the many alternative remedies for treating lice – such as smothering them with mayonnaise or oil, dehydrating them with saline or hot air, or zapping them with an electronic comb – have proven to be effective. — Emily J. C. Wong, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 There’s the brutal heat; the skin-destroying UV rays of that miserable, scorching, eye-blinding sun; the constant allergy/sinusitis issues that never let up; the smothering humidity. — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothering
  1. suffocating
  2. strangling
  3. stifling
  4. burying
  5. oppressive
  6. choking
  7. suppressing
  8. overcoming
Adjective
  • Scientists suspect that the combination of high heat and a suffocating deep-tropical air mass will be considered the worst humidity the region has experienced in the modern era.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Eilish will play Greenwood, the brilliant young woman at the center of Plath’s semi-autobiographical story, which follows her descent into mental illness amid the suffocating expectations placed on women in 1950s America.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of suffocating
Verb
  • Clancy is due back in court Monday morning in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to potentially learn if prosecutors will try her a second time in the strangling deaths of 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan.
    — Deanna Marie Lowe, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Clancy is accused of strangling her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan, in their Duxbury home.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of strangling
Verb
  • Trailing 10-3 at halftime, Clemson used a stifling defense to set up three third quarter scores — two coming on Nolan Hauser field goals and another on Reynolds' go-ahead touchdown run off a quarterback draw.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The midday heat is stifling, even more so for Eilyn Solano, who has been sheltering in a tent for over 100 days.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of stifling
Verb
  • Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34, is accused of killing Nadine Jett and burying her remains in her Oak Creek Road property, San Diego County Dist.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Merced County Code does not explicitly state any countywide ordinance that prohibits burying a domestic pet on private property.
    — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of burying
Adjective
  • The citizens group hoping to reform Connecticut’s oppressive property tax system will release its recommendations Monday, hoping to force candidates for state offices to take positions during the final push toward Election Day.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
  • If Chrissie represents someone who opts into the ruling system, Paul’s character shows that there are choices even within this world’s oppressive parameters.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of oppressive
Verb
  • Potential choking hazards such as loose beads or strings should also be avoided.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Lonna Drewes accused Swalwell of drugging, raping and choking her in 2018 during a news conference earlier this year.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of choking
Verb
  • The regime remains capable of suppressing any organized resistance in the country, but the growing disaffection of the elite threatens to weaken the state from within.
    — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
  • When the neurotoxin stops suppressing nerve signals to those muscles, the lines return.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppressing
Verb
  • The Dolphins had plenty more opportunities after Gordon’s penalty to right the ship, overcoming the challenges that the team’s second-half belly-flop presented.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The Knicks got into the win column for the first time this season by overcoming a 13-point deficit in Tuesday’s home victory against the Detroit Pistons.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of overcoming

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Cite this Entry

“Smothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothering. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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