1
as in to strangle
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
children should never play inside discarded appliances because they could become trapped and smother
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
he quickly smothered his inappropriate laughter at the funeral ceremony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to bury
to defeat by a large margin
the soccer team smothered their first few opponents in the championships, but lost narrowly in the final round
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smother
Dee Dee Kerscher, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
These Asian species spread very easily to natural areas, where their vigorous growth smothers native plants.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Even when Pegula rediscovered her ability to smother Sabalenka with deep returns to her backhand, the Belarusian clung onto her serve.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Verb
This method helps smother developing weeds, depriving them of sunlight and the water needed to survive.
—Dee Dee Kerscher, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
These Asian species spread very easily to natural areas, where their vigorous growth smothers native plants.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
Noun
Moody’s second field goal attempt, from 36 yards, got blocked when Julian Love quickly jumped past Matt Hennessy and smothered Moody’s attempt on its ascent.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Even when Pegula rediscovered her ability to smother Sabalenka with deep returns to her backhand, the Belarusian clung onto her serve.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smother
Verb
-
Miner was tied up, beaten, strangled and stabbed.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Even the most strident neighborhood defenders agree that California is being strangled by a severe housing crisis.—
Stan Oklobdzija,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This cycle of reactionary leadership not only stifles innovation but also erodes trust and morale within organizations.—
Glenn Llopis,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Vrabel, as previously mentioned, has stifled Tagovailoa in the past.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jax heterosexually admired Jade Cargill’s body, but buried Jade’s in-ring ability.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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Two weeks after Priscilla's grandson Benjamin Keough, the son of the late Lisa Marie Presley and her ex-husband Danny Keough, was buried following his death by suicide at age 27 in 2020, Navarone, 38, came to his mom asking for help getting off fentanyl.—
Brianne Tracy,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But Karl Maybach’s greatest contribution to the wonders of European civilization were his enormously powerful diesel engines that gave birth to the very first high-speed trains of Europe, emphatically putting steam trains out of business.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Once the timer beeps, leave the door closed for another minute so the steam can do its work.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To avoid choking hazards, the researchers recommend pureeing blueberries for younger infants and mashing or cutting them into small pieces for older babies and toddlers.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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That December, Cilivea Thyrion, 20, choked to death on an adult diaper while housed in a special needs pod.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The upconversion process also suppressed noise, which made the setup effective even under very dim light.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Critics of the visas, including many American technology workers, argue companies use H-1B visa workers to suppress wages and pass over Americans for jobs.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The researchers spent years overcoming these issues before finding a condition that worked consistently.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
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Mandatory reporting aims to overcome the many reasons people might otherwise stay silent such as fear of retaliation, reluctance to damage relationships, or simple unwillingness to get involved.—
Nina A. Kohn,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The subsequent breakout lifted NIO above key resistance from the weekly cloud model, a long-term trend following tool denoted by the shaded area on the chart.—
Katie Stockton,
CNBC,
15 Sep. 2025
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Third-party cloud storage providers that have shifted to using Apple's File Provider API, as most of them have, can display results here and in the general Spotlight search view.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smother. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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