smoth·er
ˈsmə-t͟hər 
smothered; smothering
ˈsmə-t͟hə-riŋ
ˈsmət͟h-riŋ
1
a
: to kill by depriving of air
b
: to suppress (a fire) by excluding oxygen
c
: to overcome or discomfit through or as if through lack of air
2
3
: to overcome or kill with smoke or fumes
4
: to cook in a covered pan or pot with little liquid over low heat
: to be overcome or killed through or as if through lack of air
1
a
: thick stifling smoke or smudge
b
: a state of being stifled or suppressed
2
: a dense cloud (as of fog or dust)
3
: a confused multitude of things : welter
Synonyms
Examples of smother in a Sentence
Verb
He tried to smother her with a pillow.
She smothered the fire with a blanket.
Recent Examples on the Web
Fanni Szakal, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2024
The beef on the beef and natural cheddar was draped on a limp slice of waxy cheese, and the bottom bun was smothered in what the chain calls Red Ranch sauce.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2024
Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 27 June 2024
If the bacteria hypothesis was right, the rusting could gradually smother streams almost anywhere there's permafrost—an area that includes about one fourth of the Northern Hemisphere.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smother 
Verb
On the Ulithi atoll, in the Federated States of Micronesia, however, some reefs are struggling with a different kind of ecological shift: getting smothered by a single type of weedy coral.
—Fanni Szakal, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2024
The beef on the beef and natural cheddar was draped on a limp slice of waxy cheese, and the bottom bun was smothered in what the chain calls Red Ranch sauce.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2024
Noun
However, the ongoing war and its sociopolitical ramifications threaten to further smother the already dwindling Christian presence on both sides of a broken Holy Land.
—Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 27 June 2024
If the bacteria hypothesis was right, the rusting could gradually smother streams almost anywhere there's permafrost—an area that includes about one fourth of the Northern Hemisphere.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smother
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smother.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near smother
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smother. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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