smothers 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of smother
1
as in strangles
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 stifles
to refrain from openly showing or uttering he quickly smothered his inappropriate laughter at the funeral ceremony

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in buries
to defeat by a large margin the soccer team smothered their first few opponents in the championships, but lost narrowly in the final round

Synonyms & Similar Words

smothers

2 of 2

noun

plural of smother
as in steams

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smothers
Verb
Up in the attic, a melty miasma smothers the thick winter coats, which hurt me to even look at. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026 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 Once in flowerbeds and vegetable gardens, the plant depletes potassium necessary for plant health and smothers low-growing plants. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026 Carson smothers it over a crisp and shattering tortilla with tart pickled jalapeño, silky avocado crema and a blizzard of cotija cheese. — Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026 The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 2026 But needy, possessive Nikki smothers Bear, and what plays out is a horrifying tale of obsessive love gone wrong — sour, curdled and violent. — Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026 At Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve, Mediterranean scrub smothers steep hillsides that edge abruptly to meet a surreal, gin-clear water. — Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026 South Grand Prairie smothers Richardson to move on South Grand Prairie got 19 points from Janae Johnson to lead the Warriors to a 41-26 drubbing of Richardson in a Class 6A Division I bi-district game on Monday. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothers
  1. strangles
  2. stifles
  3. buries
  4. clouds
  5. chokes
  6. suppresses
  7. overcomes
  8. suffocates
Verb
  • Their target, Yousaf (Rahul Khanna), strangles the young trainee Annelise (Gillian Alexy) to death—making for a second botched operation in one episode.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
  • Nate comes back to life and strangles Cassie in a dark green Bottega Veneta suit, then Maddy saves her.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
Definition of strangles
Verb
  • Micromanagement stifles creativity, motivation, and productivity.
    — Maria Ross, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • That stifles competition at home and, with China’s dependence on global consumption, raises concerns about dumping and deflation abroad.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 14 May 2026
Definition of stifles
Verb
  • The algorithm buries it because the pattern is easy to detect.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
  • Hollis buries herself in work in an attempt to escape her complicated grief, while aspiring filmmaker Caroline copes by making snarky remarks and bristling at her mom's efforts to connect.
    — Clarissa Cruz, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Definition of buries
Noun
  • The overwhelming majority are simply too distant, too faint, or hidden behind clouds of interstellar dust to be seen without powerful telescopes.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026
  • After the hottest day of the week, incoming clouds and rain should bring a small break from the heat and muggy air, the weather service said.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
Definition of clouds
Verb
  • Remove chokes from artichokes and steam in small amount of water for 15 minutes, adding water to pan as needed.
    — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • Connecticut’s largest cities also struggle with the state’s highest property tax rates, which chokes business growth and, in turn, shifts more burden onto residential owners.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026
Definition of chokes
Verb
  • Normally, this modifier gene suppresses the creation of a second kind of hemoglobin, typically made only during fetal development; repressing the gene prompts cells to start making the fetal form of hemoglobin again, which acts as a backup.
    — Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • Enbrel partially suppresses the immune system, reducing damage from rheumatoid arthritis and five other diseases where the body attacks its own tissues.
    — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 7 July 2026
Definition of suppresses
Verb
  • By using acoustic detection and ranging (ADAR) technology, the sensor overcomes the blind spots and height limitations of conventional 2D safety systems.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
  • And then there’s Kaitlyn Chen, the second-year point guard who overcomes some of her athletic deficiencies by picking up 94 feet and always seemingly knows where to be.
    — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 29 June 2026
Definition of overcomes
Verb
  • The pure, post-Bee Gees charisma Bellamy mustered in the 2000s seems to have vacated him entirely, and the song’s funkiness suffocates under the flatness of his delivery.
    — Liam Inscoe-Jones, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026
  • The tension suffocates as He-Man reaches for his Power Sword, but Skeletor isn't backing down here either.
    — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 3 June 2026
Definition of suffocates

Browse Nearby Words

smothering
smothers
smudge
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Cite this Entry

“Smothers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothers. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of smothers for Spanish Speakers

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