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

Big, bold flavor in every squeeze, slather and smear Make room in your fridge for the sauces that squeezed out the competition in our PEOPLE 2025 Food Awards. —Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 4 June 2025

This is because our hero stacker—that classic white-bread tomato sandwich with tomato and a slather of mayo—is all dependent on those ripe, juicy heirloom tomatoes plucked straight off the vine and cut into beefy slices. —Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 11 May 2025

Verb

Come here for breakfast, and tear off a hunk of a just-out-of-the-oven baguette, slather it with salted premium French butter, sip great coffee, and kick off your day. —Shivani Vora, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025

Imagine tender slices of juicy steak piled high on a crusty baguette, layered with sautéed onions and mushrooms, and slathered with a creamy mayo-mustard sauce. —Linda Gassenheimer, Boston Herald, 11 June 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

Rhymes for slather

• gather
• lather
• rather