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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothers
Verb
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On the ground, there’s a war of grappling, chokes, and limb breaks, and Oliveira is one of the best to ever fight it.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
14 Jan. 2025 -
Broken baggage chokes landfills and decomposes at a glacial pace.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes,
28 Dec. 2024
Verb
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If a child swallows a button battery, experts recommend parents give them two teaspoons of honey every 10 minutes on their way to the hospital to coat the throat and reduce the risk of serious injury.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA TODAY,
28 Nov. 2024
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If a child swallows a battery, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia also warns against trying to induce vomiting, giving any medication, drinking milk or water or trying the Heimlich maneuver.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA TODAY,
28 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Implementing more change than an organization needs unnecessarily complicates processes, overwhelms employees and increases costs.—
Manoj Balraj,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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This method overwhelms the media and exhausts many Americans who cannot easily absorb so much information at once.—
Jennifer Mercieca,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Minnesota would finish fifth if Memphis beats Denver and the Clippers beat the Warriors or if Denver beats Memphis and the Warriors beat the Clippers.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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If Memphis beats Denver on Friday and the Golden State Warriors beat the LA Clippers on Sunday, the Wolves will finish fourth and host Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Smothers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothers. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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