smolder
verb
smol·der
| \ ˈsmōl-dər
\
\
variants:
or smoulder
smoldered
or smouldered;
smoldering
or smouldering\ ˈsmōl-d(ə-)riŋ
\
\
Definition of smolder
1a
: to burn sluggishly, without flame, and often with much smoke
b
: to be consumed by smoldering
—often used with out
2
: to exist in a state of suppressed activity
hostilities smoldered for years
3
: to show suppressed anger, hate, or jealousy
eyes smoldering with hate
Examples of smolder in a Sentence
The remains of the campfire smoldered.
Her eyes smoldered with anger.
Anger smoldered in my heart.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Not to be outdone, model Paloma Elsesser smoldered in a black Valentino gown. — Vogue, "The 17 Best Fashion Instagrams of the Week: Diplo Wears Overalls, Erykah Badu Struts, and More," 30 Mar. 2019 Around the same time, a landfill along the shipyard’s western border caught fire and smoldered for weeks before the Navy notified the EPA and city. — Jason Fagone, SFChronicle.com, "Report: Navy altered Hunters Point cleanup to cover, not remove, toxic soil," 14 Aug. 2019 The territory lying between the two nuclear armed nations was already one of Asia’s most dangerous and militarized flash points, smoldering for decades. — New York Times, "Inside Kashmir, Cut Off From the World: ‘A Living Hell’ of Anger and Fear," 10 Aug. 2019 The territory lying between the two nuclear armed nations was already one of Asia’s most dangerous and militarized flashpoints, smoldering for decades. — Sameer Yasir, BostonGlobe.com, "Confusion, rage, and protest grip cutoff Kashmir," 10 Aug. 2019 And the spacecraft built to carry astronauts into deep space was now smoldering atop a rocket in Florida. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "The Greatest Leap, part 1: How the Apollo fire propelled NASA to the Moon," 16 July 2019 These can be lit and will smolder long enough to be used to ignite the fuse without risking catching anything else on fire or burning the user. — Eric Adams, Popular Mechanics, "How to Have Fun (and Stay Safe) During This Year's Fireworks-Filled Fourth," 1 July 2019 Simpson said three Idaho National Laboratory firefighters that entered the earthen-floored structure on April 11 to extinguish a smoldering barrel reported other possible breaches, and crews outside heard some of the barrels rupture. — Washington Post, "Officials say radioactive sludge barrel ruptures now total 4," 25 Apr. 2018 As the infection began to subside, instead of relief, a smoldering anger took hold of me. — Allison Pattillo, Health.com, "What Almost Losing My Leg Taught Me About Grit and Grace," 5 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smolder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for smolder
smolder
verb
English Language Learners Definition of smolder
: to burn slowly without flames but usually with smoke
: to feel a strong emotion but keep it hidden
: to be felt strongly by someone without being directly shown or expressed
See the full definition for smolder in the English Language Learners Dictionary
smolder
verb
smol·der
variants:
or smoulder
smoldered
or smouldered;
smoldering
or smouldering
Kids Definition of smolder
1
: to burn slowly usually with smoke and without flame
A fire was smoldering in the grate.
2
: to burn inwardly
Her anger smoldered.
Keep scrolling for more