variants
or smoulder
1
as in to anger
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
She smoldered when first learning of her son's misbehavior at school, but had calmed down by the time he arrived home.
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2
as in to blaze
to be on fire usually with smoke but few flames
They look forward to those long summer nights telling stories beside a smoldering campfire.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smolder
Officials stayed at the scene to contain smoldering hot spots hours after the blaze was extinguished.
—
Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 2 July 2025
The influence of that album—and its smoldering 2017 follow-up, Melodrama—still shapes the work of Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and even Taylor Swift.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
The doctor gestured to a low bench near the smoldering hearth.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Scorpio: Mal, Descendants Cunning and strategic, Mal’s smoldering essence and power are strongly influenced by her mother, Maleficent.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 2 July 2025
The influence of that album—and its smoldering 2017 follow-up, Melodrama—still shapes the work of Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and even Taylor Swift.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
The doctor gestured to a low bench near the smoldering hearth.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Scorpio: Mal, Descendants Cunning and strategic, Mal’s smoldering essence and power are strongly influenced by her mother, Maleficent.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder
Verb
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Trump, angered by messy encampments of homeless people near the White House and on the nation's streets and parks, declared that organizations receiving federal funding must focus first on locking up people with drug or mental health challenges.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
31 July 2025
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In March, Gerson signed a contract to keep him at Flamengo until 2030, his subsequent departure angering many Flamengo fans.—
Henry Flynn,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Verb
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Moore’s mother worked several jobs, family members chipped in, and an entire community rallied to blaze an impossible path for the governor, culminating in his swearing-in as Maryland’s 63rd governor, with the prestigious distinction of being Maryland’s first Black governor.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
28 July 2025
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The Patriots throttled down with a pre-planned walkthrough Friday, where players took the field for 75 minutes under a blazing sun and jogged through a variety of drills over their third training camp practice.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Earlier Thursday, the controversy over the Epstein files had snarled the House’s efforts to pass a bill that claws back $9.4 billion in federal spending, as Democrats used procedural moves to force votes on releasing the documents in tandem with the package.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
18 July 2025
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The early-morning crash snarled traffic on the bridge, which has two four-lane spans and connects Delaware and New Jersey.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
12 July 2025
Verb
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The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2023
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Neeti Mehra,
Treehugger,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
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The main difference in cooking methods is that traditional poaching boils the egg while an egg poacher steams it.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2025
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But yes, there are options to steaming and standing in line for a ride.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 July 2025
Verb
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With choreographed dances, celebratory antics, flaming bats (yes, literal flaming bats), and a firm commitment to entertaining the crowd first and worrying about the score later, the Bananas have become a cultural phenomenon.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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The artist was flamed for his headlining performance at the Electric Castle festival in Romania.—
Daysia Tolentino,
EW.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
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After shopping, snap some pics of the charming Danish architecture and stop by Ostrichland USA to feed emus and ostrich on your way out of town.—
Cu Fleshman,
Travel + Leisure,
26 July 2025
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The swing snapped Guerrero’s 14-game homer drought, depositing a pitch in the left-centre bleachers.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Head away from city lights around this time to hunt the glowing band of the Milky Way's core, which can be spotted during the summer months streaming towards the eastern horizon as dusk gives way to night in dark sky locations.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 Aug. 2025
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The spectacle produces about three meteors per hour; look for its shooting stars near the Eridanus constellation, which hangs low in the southeast sky August’s full sturgeon moon will glow in the southeast skies on Aug. 9, with Saturn nearby to the east.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolder. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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