1
as in to strangle
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
he quickly smothered his inappropriate laughter at the funeral ceremony
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to bury
to defeat by a large margin
the soccer team smothered their first few opponents in the championships, but lost narrowly in the final round
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smother
Dee Dee Kerscher, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
These Asian species spread very easily to natural areas, where their vigorous growth smothers native plants.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
Chris Winters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Sep. 2025
Late-season heat and humidity will smother the Kansas City area, reminding folks that summer isn’t finished yet, even though football season has started.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Verb
This method helps smother developing weeds, depriving them of sunlight and the water needed to survive.
—Dee Dee Kerscher, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
These Asian species spread very easily to natural areas, where their vigorous growth smothers native plants.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
Noun
From start to finish, Colleyville seemed to smother The Colony, on both sides of the ball.
—Chris Winters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Sep. 2025
Late-season heat and humidity will smother the Kansas City area, reminding folks that summer isn’t finished yet, even though football season has started.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smother
Verb
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From the outset of its full-scale invasion, Russia sought to strangle Ukraine’s economy by cutting off its maritime access.—
ANDRIY ZAGORODNYUK,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Sep. 2025
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That potential was strangled, Du Bois writes in this book, an essential look at governance and betrayal in America.—
Zephyr Teachout,
The Atlantic,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Leaders from Center for Arizona Policy and Arizona Free Enterprise Club said already the law had stifled their ability to collect donations and conduct advocacy work.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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Hate speech laws would inevitably be used by politicians to silence their opponents and stifle criticism of their policies.—
The Detroit News Editorial Board,
Twin Cities,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Mountain View Fire Protection District and Boulder County sheriff’s deputies responded when neighbors reported the fire, and the cult members extinguished the blaze by burying it with dirt.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
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Paleontological excavations at this site have previously been fruitful, according to the study, with animals ranging from mollusks to iguanian lizards to dinosaur giants like titanosaurs discovered buried in the sediment.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And Turning Point Action, full steam ahead.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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Pulling shots of espresso involves a flash method of expressing steam through grounds for a highly concentrated form of coffee.—
Lyndsay C. Green,
Freep.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Foreign material in food products presents health risks, including choking, damage to teeth and digestive tract injury.—
Matthew Robinson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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The punishment was allegedly being body slammed and choked.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Amazon still faces another lawsuit brought by the FTC in 2023, which alleged that the company is an exploitative monopoly and illegally suppressed competition among online marketplaces.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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The threats are so vague, and government power so extensive, that this will undoubtedly drive widespread self-censorship and suppress free expression across many communities out of fear.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Twin Cities,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But to restore the city’s community gathering place, Sunrise Mall must overcome a wary economy and consumers’ disinterest in brick-and-mortar retail.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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In the 2023 season, however, the Panthers stunned the Eagles in a regional semifinal playoff game, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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When Andrew pulled the car over to take pictures, the sun broke through the clouds in silvered streams, as if to herald the Epiphany.—
Ann Patchett,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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When the business world started to realize that the cloud could be as safe as their own data centers—or even safer—software companies made haste to produce cloud versions of their existing solutions.—
Chris Degnan,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smother. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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