Synonyms of smothers

smothers 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of smother

1

as in strangles

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

• strangles
• chokes
• suffocates
• stifles
• drowns
• destroys
• throttles
• slays
• asphyxiates
• garrotes
• dispatches
• fells
• croaks
• does in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breathes
• inspires
• expires
• inhales
• exhales
• revives
• resuscitates

2

as in stifles

to refrain from openly showing or uttering

he quickly smothered his inappropriate laughter at the funeral ceremony

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stifles
• suppresses
• swallows
• represses
• strangles
• submerges
• contains
• manages
• chokes (back)
• holds back
• controls
• pockets
• sinks
• governs
• quells
• curbs
• quashes
• muffles
• checks
• squelches
• bridles
• bottles up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expresses
• releases
• takes out
• unleashes
• looses
• vents

3

as in buries

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

• buries
• overcomes
• flattens
• throws
• annihilates
• whips
• overwhelms
• clobbers
• thrashes
• bombs
• upsets
• beats
• dusts
• wallops
• routs
• takes
• smokes
• masters
• trounces
• destroys
• trims
• pastes
• surpasses
• conquers
• blows away
• tops
• sweeps
• succeeds
• creams
• exceeds
• waxes
• drubs
• tromps
• whomps
• subdues
• skins
• scores
• overpowers
• whups
• shellacs
• whops
• subjugates
• crushes
• vanquishes
• wipes the floor with
• eats alive
• licks
• surmounts
• beats the pants off
• snows under
• dispatches
• skunks
• outshines
• transcends
• overthrows
• upends
• excels
• runs circles around
• outdoes
• outstrips
• slaughters
• caps
• bests
• prevails (over)
• wins (against)
• outdistances
• overbears
• triumphs (over)
• overtops
• finishes
• eclipses
• hurdles
• flourishes
• knocks over
• edges (out)
• betters
• knocks off
• overmatches
• breaks
• sinks
• worsts
• noses out
• aces (out)
• outfights
• pips
• does in

smothers

2 of 2

noun

plural of smother

as in steams

Related Words

• steams
• fumes
• clouds
• smokes
• miasmas
• reeks
• banks
• hazes
• soups
• gauzes
• murks
• fogs
• smogs
• mists
• brumes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of smothers

Verb

The writing — and its sometimes baffling aversion to the source material — is at the heart of the problem, but there’s plenty of blame to go around, from hammy acting to a cartoonish tone that smothers the whole affair. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026

Up in the attic, a melty miasma smothers the thick winter coats, which hurt me to even look at. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026

But needy, possessive Nikki smothers Bear, and what plays out is a horrifying tale of obsessive love gone wrong — sour, curdled and violent. — Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026

Carson smothers it over a crisp and shattering tortilla with tart pickled jalapeño, silky avocado crema and a blizzard of cotija cheese. — Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026

Once in flowerbeds and vegetable gardens, the plant depletes potassium necessary for plant health and smothers low-growing plants. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026

The pieces knit together to form a cast iron surface that sheds water, smothers weeds and holds up for a long time. — Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026

South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026

The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 2026