variants
or smoulders
1
as in snarls
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 blazes
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of smolders
Neighbors living near the Ontario warehouse say Abdulkarim should face more than arson charges, as equipment still smolders at the site and questionable air quality lingers after last week's massive blaze, covering an area the size of 21 football fields.
—
Austin Turner, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Throughout the compilation of clips, Kristy smiles and smolders in the mirror while using a bottle of the luxury brand's Libre Berry Crush perfume.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Blood orange and saffron ignite the air, myrrh smolders beneath, and the woods hum with market heat.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Austin Turner, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Throughout the compilation of clips, Kristy smiles and smolders in the mirror while using a bottle of the luxury brand's Libre Berry Crush perfume.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Blood orange and saffron ignite the air, myrrh smolders beneath, and the woods hum with market heat.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolders
Verb
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Security snarls The TSA PreCheck line at terminal B in LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, on March 27, 2026.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
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Beyond the red tape that snarls any new apartment, condominiums confront an additional hurdle.—
M. Nolan Gray,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Officials are spreading the word in the wake of deadly fires within the last month that killed five people in Manhattan and the Bronx, blazes that could have been more easily contained if doors were used to help snuff out the flames.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2026
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Studies have shown that rising temperatures due to climate change are fueling longer wildfire seasons, and making blazes both more frequent and more destructive.—
Kathryn Prociv,
NBC news,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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During that time, the steak essentially steams.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
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This all comes as the legal fight over the audit steams ahead, over 15 months after 72% of the state signed off on the ballot measure.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the opening minutes of Dutton Ranch, Beth and Rip are blissfully happy on their new Montana ranch — until a wildfire breaks out and burns their entire property to the ground.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Kristen finds her way back to her natural vivacity, but the brightness burns differently.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Set in 1986, the story follows two brothers, Irwin and Gary Pearl, whose get-rich scheme to help clean up the Gowanus Canal ends in disaster after Irwin (Teller), a nebbish family man, angers Russian mobsters by unwittingly witnessing their criminal activity.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 May 2026
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LaCava said the change seems like another city policy that angers many residents without major impact.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As Seth seethes about his separation from his home country (and the family fortune), Arias interweaves a backstory involving assassination, undisclosed parentage and (as the title suggests) the perilous creatures slithering across the landscape.—
Michael Schaub,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
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Trump seethes with hatred and erupts in volcanic fury to denounce, demonize, disparage and threaten anyone who refuses to support his increasingly irrational and harmful proposals and actions.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Below, sits Altair, while Deneb glows to the left, representing the tail of the great swan in the constellation Cygnus.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
11 May 2026
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It can be used as a nightlight, glows in seven colors and features a selection of soothing soundscapes.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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From the next room, Beckham’s longtime creative director watches the playback on her monitor and snaps into action.—
Maneet Ahuja,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
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Three decades from my last episode sometimes a faint quiver in my cheek snaps me back to that distant physicality—a child unable to manage her own estate that quaked.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smolders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolders. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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