How to Use smother in a Sentence

smother

1 of 2 verb
  • She smothered the fire with a blanket.
  • He tried to smother her with a pillow.
  • Piles of leaves can smother the grass.
    — Lauren David, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2025
  • If roots are buried too deeply, they can be smothered.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Too much weight will compact the soil and may smother the grass.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Too much weight will compact the soil and may smother the grass.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2025
  • The heat in the car is like an aunt who does not stop smothering us.
    — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
  • Now the earth is being smothered as fires rage across the planet.
    — David Shribman, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2023
  • Mulch fallen leaves so that thick layers do not smother the grass.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
  • If a kitchen fire does start, first try to smother the flames with a pot lid or cookie sheet.
    — oregonlive, 2 Nov. 2021
  • This is not a deep and pure love — this is clutching and smothering.
    — Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2023
  • Over time, it was smothered by sand brought in to replenish the beach.
    — Greg Allen, NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Its fish was muddy and, worse, it was smothered in tartar sauce.
    — Tim Carman, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024
  • Grass doesn’t like being smothered.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Sexyy tries to ride the beat with ad-libs but gets smothered by the arrangement.
    — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
  • There’s no lawn to be smothered by two feet of piled up, soaking wet winter leaves.
    — Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Oct. 2025
  • These clumps can smother grass and promote disease.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Don’t smother the crown, and remove the mulch before new growth emerges in the spring.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Sarah has a pillow and is smothering a woman whom she’s caught in the bed.
    — Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 12 Feb. 2024
  • The match built to a hot tag tonight Cena as the heels smothered Cody.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • But they were smothered this time by the physical Wild.
    — Joe Smith, New York Times, 10 May 2026
  • But now they got broken into six smothering rooms, or ten, or maybe a dozen.
    — Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
  • By this time, that same black cloud was starting to smother Lahaina.
    — Joshua Partlow, John Farrell, Brady Dennis, Brianna Sacks and Joanna Slater, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Like the spring game, he was smothered by the pass rush on obvious throwing downs.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2025
  • It is also designed to be oversized, but it’s cut in a way that doesn’t smother the body.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2023
  • Plants grow rapidly in spring, smothering weeds and feeding the soil.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
  • In extreme cases, the piles of clippings can smother turf.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Rake most of them off the grass, because a matted layer of whole leaves can smother the grass plants.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2022
  • The crispy side is smothered in the same poblano queso from the new menu item and topped with shredded cheddar cheese.
    — Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023
  • The oils smother the eggs and larvae of many insects and decrease problems down the line.
    — oregonlive, 17 Jan. 2022

smother

2 of 2 noun
  • Sauté slices with duck breast; add to a pork roast or smother apples and sauerkraut with some game sausages.
    — Kim Sunée, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Oct. 2020
  • The pieces knit together to form a cast iron surface that sheds water, smothers weeds and holds up for a long time.
    — Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
  • If either smothers the grass for long periods, this can compact soil and lead to mold problems.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Invasive species smother out the state’s iconic flora and fauna.
    — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Defenses were there to smother ball carriers, with no fear of a receiver stretching the field.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Because these rampant vines smother, strangle, crush, and destroy everything around them.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Aug. 2025
  • Walker, a fourth-year pro, rushed for a game-high 135 yards as Seattle’s offense did enough to let its defense smother New England into submission.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
  • On fourth-and-6, Texas State's secondary smothers South Alabama's receivers and sacks Davenport.
    — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 29 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smother.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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