What does "smother" mean?
That which smothers or appears to smother, particularly; Smoldering; slow combustion.
Smother
/ˈsməðər/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: That which smothers or appears to smother, particularly; Smoldering; slow combustion.
- Grammar: smother is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abate, allay, alleviate, asphyxiate.
- Useful contrasts: airflow, bellows, blazes.
- Usage evidence: My sister likes to smother her toasts in butter.
How to use "smother"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "smother" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "smother" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "smother" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "smother" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "smother" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "smother", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 That which smothers or appears to smother, particularly; Smoldering; slow combustion. countable, uncountable
- 2 a stifling cloud of smoke wordnet
- 3 That which smothers or appears to smother, particularly; Cookware used in such cooking. countable, uncountable
"Thus must I from the smoke into the smother […]"
- 4 a confused multitude of things wordnet
- 5 That which smothers or appears to smother, particularly; The state of being stifled; suppression. countable, dated, uncountable
"not to keep their suspicions in smother"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 That which smothers or appears to smother, particularly; Stifling smoke; thick dust. countable, dated, uncountable
"Thus must I from the smoke into the smother, / From tyrant duke unto tyrant brother."
- 7 That which smothers or appears to smother, particularly; The act of smothering a kick (see verb section). countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone. transitive
"He smothered her by pressing his hand over her mouth."
- 2 suppress in order to conceal or hide wordnet
- 3 To extinguish or deaden, as fire, by covering, overlaying, or otherwise excluding the air. transitive
"to smother a fire with ashes"
- 4 envelop completely wordnet
- 5 To reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity; suppress or do away with; extinguish transitive
"The committee's report was smothered."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 deprive of the oxygen necessary for combustion wordnet
- 7 To cook in a close dish. transitive
"beefsteak smothered with onions"
- 8 deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing wordnet
- 9 To daub or smear. transitive
"And I keep quite a lot of it around, especially chocolate-covered almonds and Trader Joes minipretzels smothered in dark chocolate."
- 10 form an impenetrable cover over wordnet
- 11 To be suffocated. intransitive
"She is smothered by the rope."
- 12 To breathe with great difficulty by reason of smoke, dust, close covering or wrapping, or the like. intransitive
- 13 to burn very slowly for want of air; smolder. intransitive
- 14 to perish, grow feeble, or decline, by suppression or concealment; be stifled; be suppressed or concealed. figuratively, intransitive
- 15 To get in the way of a kick of the ball.
"Emmanuel Adebayor's touch proved a fraction heavy as he guided Van der Vaart's exquisite long ball round John Ruddy, before the goalkeeper did well to smother Bale's shot from Modric's weighted pass."
- 16 To get in the way of a kick of the ball, preventing it going very far. When a player is kicking the ball, an opponent who is close enough will reach out with his hands and arms to get over the top of it, so the ball hits his hands after leaving the kicker's boot, dribbling away.
- 17 To prevent the development of an opponent's attack by one's arm positioning.
Example
"My sister likes to smother her toasts in butter."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "smother"?
Common synonyms include: abate, allay, alleviate, asphyxiate, asphyxiate, asphyxiated.
How do you use "smother" in a sentence?
My sister likes to smother her toasts in butter.
How do you pronounce "smother"?
Pronounced /ˈsməðər/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *smurōną (“to suffocate, strangle”), probably related to *smallijan (“to burn”) or Old English smoca (“smoke”). Cognate with Middle Low German smoren, smurten (“to choke, suffocate”), West Flemish smoren (“to smoke, reek”), Dutch smoren (“to suffocate, smother", also "to stew, simmer”), German schmoren (“to stew, simmer, braise”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”), from Old English smorþor (“smoke”, literally “that which suffocates”), from smorian (“to suffocate, choke”) + -þor (instrumental suffix).