1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

snuff (out)

verb

Definition of snuff (out)next
1
as in to extinguish
to cause to cease burning snuff out the candle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of the forest fire snuffed out all of the animal life in the immediate area

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to suppress
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force brutally snuffed out the movement for democratic rule

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for snuff (out)
  1. extinguish
  2. eradicate
  3. suppress
  4. erase
  5. quell
  6. abolish
  7. subdue
  8. wipe out
Verb
  • The difference is that, like early insurance companies, CTS extinguishes only the fires it is paid, including by Tensor, to put out.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Crews continued mopping up the fire Monday, strengthening containment lines and extinguishing hot spots at least 300 feet inside the perimeter.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of extinguish
Verb
  • Community meetings focus on eradicating the homeless and protecting property values rather than supporting neighbors or providing shelter.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Back then, researchers were focused on eradicating the New World screwworm, a nasty pest that lays its eggs in wounds on living creatures.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of eradicate
Verb
  • The system is designed to amplify speech while using machine learning to suppress background noise.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
  • When the skin’s community of protective bacteria was suppressed with antibiotics, the frogs became more likely to develop signs of disease.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of suppress
Verb
  • Conradt also began to delete his MySpace profile, the Times reported, in an apparent attempt to erase his online footprint.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Sneed recovered what would have been a game-clinching fumble, but replay review erased the call.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of erase
Verb
  • So playing Blackjack at home quells some of their desire to do something catastrophic.
    — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • State and local officials and several of Wells’ white friends who had become the target of that speculation had hoped that the grand jury report would quell critics.
    — Sophie Bates, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of quell
Verb
  • Continue reading … CAT FIGHT — Kitten rescue defends ‘NO F---ING MAGA’ adoption policy as PETA calls for it to be abolished.
    — , FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) said 165 permanent positions were abolished outright, with more than 1,000 workers anticipated to be furloughed by mid-November.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of abolish
Verb
  • The first officer unsuccessfully attempted to subdue Dzananovic four times with a stun gun during the arrest, police said.
    — Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Hogan added that the market could experience more trading days like this sporadically over the coming months if sentiment remains subdued amid tensions in the Middle East.
    — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of subdue
Verb
  • The two once presented a live demo minutes after a computer cloud crash wiped out their materials, winning anyway after Andreou pitched the product entirely from memory.
    — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 27 June 2026
  • Widespread flooding across Kentucky has left at least four dead Saturday, prompting dozens of rescues after heavy rains wiped out bridges, inundated roads and flooded homes, with more significant rainfall on the way.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 27 June 2026
Definition of wipe out
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.

Browse Nearby Words

snuffling
snuff (out)
snuffs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snuff (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snuff%20%28out%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All