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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stifles
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 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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smothers
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
At Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve, Mediterranean scrub smothers steep hillsides that edge abruptly to meet a surreal, gin-clear water.
—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
At Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve, Mediterranean scrub smothers steep hillsides that edge abruptly to meet a surreal, gin-clear water.
—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothers
Verb
-
Their target, Yousaf (Rahul Khanna), strangles the young trainee Annelise (Gillian Alexy) to death—making for a second botched operation in one episode.
-
Nate comes back to life and strangles Cassie in a dark green Bottega Veneta suit, then Maddy saves her.
Verb
-
Micromanagement stifles creativity, motivation, and productivity.
-
That stifles competition at home and, with China’s dependence on global consumption, raises concerns about dumping and deflation abroad.
Verb
-
Hollis buries herself in work in an attempt to escape her complicated grief, while aspiring filmmaker Caroline copes by making snarky remarks and bristling at her mom's efforts to connect.
-
But New England’s trade effectively grants Brown the proverbial Change Of Scenery that buries the receiver’s unsaid motivations.
Noun
-
Watch for clouds passing by Friday morning through the early afternoon — that is a cold front that marks the arrival of our cooler weekend.
-
During the final launch sequence in the film, the room fills with water vapor simulating clouds and fog from the launch.
Verb
-
Connecticut’s largest cities also struggle with the state’s highest property tax rates, which chokes business growth and, in turn, shifts more burden onto residential owners.
-
Not the one who chokes in the playoffs.
Verb
-
Healthy soil retains more water, cycles more nutrients and suppresses more pests, all work that conventional operations purchase as fertilizer, irrigation and insecticide.
-
Cardboard suppresses weeds, enriches soil, and is useful for new garden beds as sheet mulching or a base layer.
Verb
-
And a strangeness suddenly overcomes me.
-
These families show that love overcomes differences.
Verb
-
The tension suffocates as He-Man reaches for his Power Sword, but Skeletor isn't backing down here either.
-
More than the page itself, the routine summons the part of his conscience that survives on muscle memory and suffocates uncertainty.
Cite this Entry
“Smothers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothers. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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