smother

[ smuhth -er ]

/ ˈsmʌð ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR smother ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to stifle or suffocate, as by smoke or other means of preventing free breathing.

to extinguish or deaden (fire, coals, etc.) by covering so as to exclude air.

to cover closely or thickly; envelop: to smother a steak with mushrooms.

to suppress or repress: to smother feelings.

Cookery. to steam (food) slowly in a heavy, tightly closed vessel with a minimum of liquid: smothered chicken and onions.

verb (used without object)

to become stifled or suffocated; be prevented from breathing.

to be stifled; be suppressed or concealed.

noun

dense, stifling smoke.

a smoking or smoldering state, as of burning matter.

dust, fog, spray, etc., in a dense or enveloping cloud.

an overspreading profusion of anything: a smother of papers.

Origin of smother

1125–75; (noun) Middle English smorther dense smoke; akin to Old English smorian to suffocate; (v.) Middle English smo(r)theren, derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM smother

smoth·er·a·ble, adjective half-smoth·ered, adjective un·smoth·er·a·ble, adjective un·smoth·ered, adjective

un·smoth·er·ing, adjective

Words nearby smother

smoothing iron, smoothy, smorgasbord, smorzando, smote, smother, smothered mate, smothery, smoulder, smout, smp

Example sentences from the Web for smothering

“Etouffée” means smothered, which is how this dish should be served: smothering the rice underneath it.

What to Eat: Mardi Gras |Cookstr.com |February 16, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
Certainly they would be better off under a reformist government, rather than the smothering absolutism of the oligarchy.

The Thugs Who Lead Iran's Supreme Leader |Gary Sick |June 27, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
Bagg already had a stifled sensation––a frantic fear of smothering; a wish to breathe deep.

Billy Topsail & Company |Norman Duncan
A little glow broke through the smothering blackness which had enshrouded her as she thought of how she could trust Richard.

Rebecca's Promise |Frances R. Sterrett

For weeks I experienced the constant sensation of smothering, felt "full" and "stuffed," as the proverbial "stuffed toad" looks.

Huts in Hell |Daniel A. Poling
He was choking, smothering—smothering with shame, hopelessness, despair.

Garrison's Finish |W. B. M. Ferguson
She sprawled back, resignedly, in her chair, smothering a yawn.

Highacres |Jane Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for smothering

smother

/ (ˈsmʌðə) /

verb

to suffocate or stifle by cutting off or being cut off from the air

(tr) to surround (with) or envelop (in) he smothered her with love

(tr) to extinguish (a fire) by covering so as to cut it off from the air

to be or cause to be suppressed or stifled smother a giggle

(tr) to cook or serve (food) thickly covered with sauce, etc

noun

anything, such as a cloud of smoke, that stifles

a profusion or turmoil

archaic a state of smouldering or a smouldering fire

Derived forms of smother

smothery, adjective

Word Origin for smother

Old English smorian to suffocate; related to Middle Low German smōren

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

smother

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of smother

OTHER WORDS FROM smother

Words nearby smother

Example sentences from the Web for smothering

British Dictionary definitions for smothering

verb

noun

Derived forms of smother

Word Origin for smother

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

smother

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of smother

OTHER WORDS FROM smother

Words nearby smother

Words related to smothering

Example sentences from the Web for smothering

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for smothering

verb

noun

Derived forms of smother

Word Origin for smother

British Dictionary definitions for smothering