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
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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
Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025
Duke’s stream of long, tall, NBA-ready standouts smothered Alabama and papered over Cooper Flagg’s rough shooting night to lift the Blue Devils to the program’s 18th Final Four with an 85-65 victory Saturday night in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region final.
—Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Anantaajith Raghuraman, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Every year the parade participants stop to smother one of the local residents dressed as Maximón, the patron saint of bad behavior, in toilet paper and silly string.
—Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Verb
Get The Recipe 05 of 15 Asparagus Gratin Anything smothered in cheese sauce is delicious, and asparagus is no exception.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025
Duke’s stream of long, tall, NBA-ready standouts smothered Alabama and papered over Cooper Flagg’s rough shooting night to lift the Blue Devils to the program’s 18th Final Four with an 85-65 victory Saturday night in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region final.
—Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Noun
The youngster, making his first Argentina start, tries to round Sergio Rochet, but fails as the Uruguay goalkeeper smothers.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Every year the parade participants stop to smother one of the local residents dressed as Maximón, the patron saint of bad behavior, in toilet paper and silly string.
—Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smother
Verb
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The condition involves the involuntary pulling of the muscles that open and close the vocal folds, causing the voice to sound strained and strangled, at times with a breathy quality.—
Indu Subramanian,
The Conversation,
1 May 2025
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Despite Jacmel’s sense of calm compared to Port-au-Prince, there’s fear that the terror strangling the capital and its neighboring Artibonite region will spread.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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At the time, according to Mark Green, an IRS spokesman, Congress believed deductions for personal interest encouraged people to consume and stifle savings.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
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The students met regularly and secretly with their professors to study literature, philosophy and theology from the Catholic intellectual tradition, banned by the Nazi regime as part of Hitler’s strategy to first stifle and then strangle the Catholic Church in Germany.—
Peter Nguyen,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The election of a pope can be interrupted, not stopped The pope's funeral will end when his wooden coffin is taken in procession from St. Peter's Basilica to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the church in Rome where he will be buried.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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But Pope Francis chose to be buried in Rome, at the Basilica of St. Mary Major — about 2.5 miles away.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Interest in walkable communities appears to be picking up steam—TikTok videos on the subject have garnered millions of views, and resource tools like 15-Minute City and WalkScore are educating people about living in walkable cities.—
Julia Ries,
Health,
25 Apr. 2025
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Amenities The hotel has a thermal suite with an outdoor plunge pool, an indoor sauna, and a steam room.—
Susmita Baral,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Are there really women out there who want Badgley to put on his Joe Goldberg cap and choke them?—
Judy Berman,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
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Southern California has been choked by smog since the mass adoption of the automobile.—
Terry Castleman,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Empire started mining the planet for energy and suppressing the Ghormans, so the upstart rebels attack a transport ship full of supplies.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
1 May 2025
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But its assertions are characteristic of the Trump administration’s systemic denial of trans lives, and signal further movement by HHS toward policies that seek to suppress trans identities among young people.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Even before the latest crackdown, Florida Decides Healthcare and every other Florida initiative campaign had to overcome immense hurdles.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2025
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The situation can be complicated further when a patient is navigating an unfamiliar medical system, has to overcome a language barrier, or takes a flight soon after an operation.—
Parizaad Khan Sethi,
Allure,
2 May 2025
Noun
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Revenue from the Intelligent Cloud segment grew by 21% to $26.8 billion, primarily due to Azure and other cloud offerings.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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What To Know The legislation, SB 56, would make unapproved cloud seeding and other similar activities a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison or significantly raised fines of up to $100,000.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smother. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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