smother
verb
smoth·er
| \ ˈsmə-t͟hər
\
\
smothered;
smothering\ ˈsmə-t͟hə-riŋ
, ˈsmət͟h-riŋ \
, ˈsmət͟h-riŋ \
Definition of smother
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: to kill by depriving of air
b
: to suppress (a fire) by excluding oxygen
c
: to overcome or discomfit through or as if through lack of air
2a
: to suppress expression or knowledge of
smothered his rage
b
: to stop or prevent the growth or activity of
smother a child with too much care
also
: overwhelm
c
: to cover thickly : blanket
snow smothered the trails
d
: to overcome or vanquish quickly or decisively
e
: to cause to smolder
3
: to overcome or kill with smoke or fumes
4
: to cook in a covered pan or pot with little liquid over low heat
: to be overcome or killed through or as if through lack of air
smother
nounDefinition of smother (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: thick stifling smoke or smudge
b
: a state of being stifled or suppressed
2
: a dense cloud (as of fog or dust)
3
: a confused multitude of things : welter
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Other Words from smother
Noun
smothery
\ ˈsmə-t͟hə-rē
, ˈsmət͟h-rē \
adjective
, ˈsmət͟h-rē \
adjective
Examples of smother in a Sentence
Verb
He tried to smother her with a pillow. She smothered the fire with a blanket.Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The real Bears showed up in the fourth quarter and are headed to Seattle to smother the Huskies again. — Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, "Pac-12 power ratings: The overreaction edition is back (Week One is all about jumping to conclusions)," 2 Sep. 2019 In popular mythology, the government is portrayed as a monster, seizing private property through taxation, or as a smothering mother, the infamous nanny state. — Astra Taylor, The New Republic, "One for All," 26 Aug. 2019 Houghton telegraphed her kick and it was smothered by Naeher. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "One more game for U.S. women, who will play for World Cup title," 2 July 2019 Meanwhile, Mass Effect launched on Xbox 360 with so many glitches, so much loading time, and so much slowdown that our own review was smothered in asterisks and caveats. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Ars Technica’s favorite video games from our first 10 years, 1998-2008," 20 Aug. 2019 The One Major Misconception About It: That these protests are all about China and its attempt at smothering Hong Kong’s democratic freedoms. — Ian Bremmer, Time, "What Happens Next in the Hong Kong Protests," 16 Aug. 2019 That ridge is forecast to move closer to Alabama over the weekend, raising temperatures by a few degrees while ramping up the smothering humidity. — Leigh Morgan, al, "It’s looking like a heatwave for Alabama starting this weekend," 9 Aug. 2019 Or breaking cracks in the granite of greed that keeps the world stressed and smothered trying to hold up its weight. — T. Wise, Bon Appétit, "I Thought It’d Be Easy to Fix My Bad Posture—I Was Wrong," 7 Aug. 2019 Still, unlike in most European countries, there is no official Academy projecting and protecting official taste or smothering outliers. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, "Splendid Arshile Gorky, in Venice," 3 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The 40-minute mindset, the smother-ous defense, the varied scoring options. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Georgia State game was the best and worst of UC basketball," 16 Mar. 2018 Excessive moisture smothers and kills roots, leading to discolored and dying foliage. — Debbie Arrington, sacbee, "Spray or drip irrigation: Which way is best for your garden?," 20 Oct. 2017 Smothers, who lived in the unit block of Osborne Road, was pronounced dead at the scene. — David Anderson, The Aegis, "Charges dropped in 2016 Aberdeen double homicide," 25 Aug. 2017 Smothers remains in critical condition at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. — Peter Hermann, Washington Post, "Firefighters describe critically injured colleague as humble future leader," 10 Aug. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smother.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for smother
smother
verb
English Language Learners Definition of smother
: to kill (someone) by covering the face so that breathing is not possible
: to cover (something) in order to keep it from growing or spreading
: to try to keep (something) from happening : to try to stop doing (something)
See the full definition for smother in the English Language Learners Dictionary
smother
verb
smoth·er
| \ ˈsmə-t͟hər
\
\
smothered;
smothering
Kids Definition of smother
1
: to kill or injure by keeping from getting air or by exposing to smoke or fumes : suffocate
2
: to become suffocated
3
: to keep from growing or developing by or as if by covering