snuffing (out)

verb

present participle of snuff (out)
1
as in extinguishing
to cause to cease burning snuff out the candle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in eradicating
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 sitting on
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 snuffing (out)
  1. extinguishing
  2. eradicating
  3. suppressing
  4. erasing
  5. quelling
  6. abolishing
  7. subduing
  8. wiping out
Verb
  • Meraz said his family was extra careful extinguishing their fireworks.
    — Noah Daly July 11, Idaho Statesman, 11 July 2026
  • After extinguishing the blaze, firefighters found the father dead on the home’s second floor.
    — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of extinguishing
Verb
  • This oral therapy marks a major step toward eradicating cardiovascular disease.
    — Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • When William and his brother, Prince Harry, were young boys, the former Princess of Wales would regularly take them to homeless shelters, and eradicating homelessness has become a cornerstone of the future king’s royal work.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 30 June 2026
Definition of eradicating
Verb
  • This prescription treatment works by suppressing ovarian hormone production while providing add-back hormones to help regulate the hormone levels and help manage symptoms over time.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 14 July 2026
  • And Syracuse University seemed more interested in suppressing news of a rape epidemic than solving it.
    — ProPublica, ProPublica, 14 July 2026
Definition of suppressing
Verb
  • These hit the ticker the same day IBM cratered 25%, erasing roughly $40 billion in market value on a revenue miss that, in any other environment, would have been unremarkable.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 July 2026
  • Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite and artificial intelligence company has plunged one-third from its post-listing peak, erasing nearly $850 billion in value.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 15 July 2026
Definition of erasing
Verb
  • Other ubiquitous Chinese deities, such as the regal Jade Emperor, the faithful warrior Guan Yu, the wondrous savior Mazu, and the demon-quelling Zhong Kui, fill both the popular imagination and the stuff of Daoist ritual.
    — Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • The very system itself - schooling and parenting - now operates on quelling agency.
    — Mimosa Jones Tunney, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of quelling
Verb
  • Lisa Walker-Yeager Lisa Walker-Yeager is running a campaign focused on abolishing or significantly reducing the property tax burden that residents, particularly senior citizens, have at a time when most goods and services are more expensive.
    — Sofi Zeman July 16, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
  • Polling found that support for abolishing ICE surged even among Republicans after the killing of the 37-year-old ICU nurse.
    — Michael Loria, USA Today, 15 July 2026
Definition of abolishing
Verb
  • Rome — The death of a Moroccan man in police custody has sparked protests – some violent – in the northern city of Bologna after video of the incident showing officers forcefully subduing the man circulated online.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Viewers have already seen glimpses of the premiere, which involves Aang and Katara subduing a sea serpent while guiding refugees across a treacherous path.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Definition of subduing
Verb
  • Shares slumped 16% for a third straight session of losses, wiping out $400 billion in market cap on Monday alone.
    — Gail Krishnan, CNBC, 23 June 2026
  • The prospect of even a mini-Dust Bowl is alarming as the original disaster during the Great Depression sent dust clouds across rural America, wiping out entire communities and triggering mass migration to other parts of the country.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 June 2026
Definition of wiping 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

snuffing it
snuffing (out)
snuff it
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snuffing (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snuffing%20%28out%29. Accessed 23 Jul. 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 maverick

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All