1
as in strangling
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 stifling
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 burying
to defeat by a large margin
the soccer team smothered their first few opponents in the championships, but lost narrowly in the final round
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in suffocating
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smothering
Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 30 Aug. 2025
Naomi is a textbook Jewish mother, nagging and cajoling and smothering her children with logorrheic abandon.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Led by Parker, Allen has star power and depth reminiscent of the smothering 2017 to 2019 units the allowed less than 290 yards per game.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Posting about the unexpected experience on TikTok, @marcelloussss showed footage of Charlie smothering him with kisses and playing around excitedly.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
An offseason of change came to fruition under the lights at Bank of America Stadium on Friday night, with first-year head coach Dowell Loggains’ Appalachian State Mountaineers smothering the Charlotte 49ers from start to finish, grabbing a 34-11 season-opening victory.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 30 Aug. 2025
Naomi is a textbook Jewish mother, nagging and cajoling and smothering her children with logorrheic abandon.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Led by Parker, Allen has star power and depth reminiscent of the smothering 2017 to 2019 units the allowed less than 290 yards per game.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Posting about the unexpected experience on TikTok, @marcelloussss showed footage of Charlie smothering him with kisses and playing around excitedly.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothering
Verb
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But these advances are also strangling the business of the dictionary.—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
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After law enforcement left, the district attorney’s office said Sumpter attacked the woman, punching her in the face and strangling her.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lately, however, that search for control has become overly cautious, stifling attacking adventure.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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After enduring a stifling sea of sameness in the basic design of the iPhone since the iPhone X, Apple’s new line of iPhone 17s finally brings a very diverse and distinctive breadth of offerings to people looking for an iPhone.—
Bob O’Donnell,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Significantly diseased leaves should be raked and removed from the area and disposed of properly, such as by burying, burning where allowed, or hot composting, according to UW-Madison.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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In video footage of the tragedy obtained by ViralPress, Praphrom could be seen inspecting a collapsed road from a trench opening below, before soil and concrete fell and struck the back of his neck, pinning him to the ground and burying him.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The suffocating Benz pushed the lifelong asthmatic to the edge.—
Sam Bloch
August 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
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And with the team operating under the suffocating grip of new CBA, every dollar must work overtime.—
Brian Sampson,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Baltimore led Buffalo by 15 points with four minutes to go Sunday night before choking away a 41-40 loss in what became an instant classic.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
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Infant accessories dug-up from the previous owner’s storage at the estate sale might still contain lead paint or choking hazards, and Ziomek advises to beware especially of any accessories involving sleeping, when babies are particularly vulnerable.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By solving MXene’s stability problem and suppressing chloride corrosion, the research delivers a material that balances conductivity, durability, and performance.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
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The focus of the nearly year-long legal battle has been 23XI and Front Row accusing NASCAR and CEO Jim France of suppressing the competition, and NASCAR countersued in March.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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But in reality, deepfakes are getting better and the threat industry has many years of experience in honing lures to trick people, playing on emotions and overcoming natural suspicions and objections.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Its pace is slow — occasionally, but rarely, to its detriment — but this clearly deliberate tempo gives you the chance to shoulder the burdens of its oppressive atmosphere and settle into its many puzzles, which regularly trade logic for personal interpretation, and occasionally just vibes.—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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This process includes questioning the logics and myths that uphold the status quo and calling out oppression as part of the struggle toward an anti-oppressive future.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothering. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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