slather

1 of 2

noun

slath·​er ˈsla-t͟hər 

: a great quantity

—often used in plural

slather

2 of 2

verb

slathered; slathering ˈsla-t͟hə-riŋ 

ˈslat͟h-riŋ

transitive verb

1

: to use or spend in a wasteful or lavish manner : squander

2

a

: to spread thickly or lavishly

slathered sunscreen on her skin

b

: to spread something thickly or lavishly on

slathered her skin with sunscreen

Examples of slather in a Sentence

Verb

We ate lobster slathered with butter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Instead: a night of marination in soy sauce, maple syrup, salt, pepper and garlic, then a pat dry, a slather of mayonnaise and an hour and a half in a 200-degree oven, until the roast’s internal temperature was around 110 degrees. —Sam Sifton, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Brush your dipping oil over small pieces of bread, toast ‘em, slather on some chèvre, and drizzle with a bit of honey. —Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2024

Verb

All skin is susceptible to the damage that UV rays can cause, including wrinkles, premature aging, and skin cancer, so slather yourself with a generous amount of SPF daily, and not just once. —Emily Orofino, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2025

Crushed raspberries smeared into rich buttercream slathered on a three-tier layer cake with swirls of raspberry jam in the filling. —Kelly Brant, arkansasonline.com, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1843, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1