1
as in strangles
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stifles
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 buries
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smothers
Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
On the latter, Bollywood royalty Asha Bhosle, 92, sings in Hindi of setting sail to the other side, but Albarn smothers her beneath heraldic bursts of Disneyfied psych-pop.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 2026
If either smothers the grass for long periods, this can compact soil and lead to mold problems.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
At Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve, Mediterranean scrub smothers steep hillsides that edge abruptly to meet a surreal, gin-clear water.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Complexity smothers everything, like Japanese knotweed.
—Adrian Wooldridge, Twin Cities, 6 Dec. 2025
Prior to his own arrest and incarceration, Rick then smothers Martin to death in the hospital to spare him from witnessing the downfall of his son and destruction of his legacy.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Nov. 2025
Verb
The pieces knit together to form a cast iron surface that sheds water, smothers weeds and holds up for a long time.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
On the latter, Bollywood royalty Asha Bhosle, 92, sings in Hindi of setting sail to the other side, but Albarn smothers her beneath heraldic bursts of Disneyfied psych-pop.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 2026
If either smothers the grass for long periods, this can compact soil and lead to mold problems.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
At Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve, Mediterranean scrub smothers steep hillsides that edge abruptly to meet a surreal, gin-clear water.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Complexity smothers everything, like Japanese knotweed.
—Adrian Wooldridge, Twin Cities, 6 Dec. 2025
Prior to his own arrest and incarceration, Rick then smothers Martin to death in the hospital to spare him from witnessing the downfall of his son and destruction of his legacy.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothers
Verb
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As Iran strangles the Strait of Hormuz, countries have scrambled for alternative routes.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
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As Grace looks on in horror, her soon-to-be husband strangles Ursula and snaps her neck.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Critics say that trademarking the name of a common business model stifles the still-nascent heirloom and specialty beans market — a growing community of companies, farmers and influencers trying to increase consumption of beans, one of the most climate- and health-friendly foods around.—
Tara Duggan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
2 Apr. 2026
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Nothing stifles a good time like being stressed about what is going on at home without any way to intervene.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Placer County Water Agency has mapped out $295 million in projects that will upgrade infrastructure, such as rebuilding plants and rehabbing buries pipes, from the foothills to the freeway.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
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Despite such doubts, Malaysia is positioning itself as Southeast Asia's hub for the alternative technology, a three-step process that captures, transports and buries carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Iran war chokes Gulf’s helium exports The war in Iran is choking supplies of helium, vital for technologies from AI chatbots to MRI scanners.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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Like other invasive plants, stinknet chokes native plants and increases fire risk.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some stuff just suppresses balls in play, after all.—
Eno Sarris,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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However well-intentioned, any law that suppresses speech based on viewpoint represents an 'egregious' assault on both of those commitments.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Leo consistently overcomes challenges such as low light, rapid movement, and split second moments to produce sharp, compelling images.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
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LithSonic overcomes this challenge by using supersonic flow, similar to the conditions inside a rocket engine, to achieve ultra-rapid cooling through a process known as shock quenching.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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What did work in one of the older movies, though, was the Oxygen Destroyer device, which effectively suffocates the creature.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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Complexity is exactly what suffocates scale.—
May Habib,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 film Modern Times, a factory worker struggles to keep pace with an ever-accelerating assembly line—until the machine swallows him whole.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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The actor audibly swallows to fight back the tears glittering in his eyes before continuing.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smothers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothers. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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