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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smothers
Adrian Wooldridge, Twin Cities, 6 Dec. 2025
If either smothers the grass for long periods, this can compact soil and lead to mold problems.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2025
Prior to his own arrest and incarceration, Rick then smothers Martin to death in the hospital to spare him from witnessing the downfall of his son and destruction of his legacy.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Nov. 2025
Verb
Complexity smothers everything, like Japanese knotweed.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothers
Verb
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Mostly, though, Boland strangles batters with his suffocating and deadly-accurate line and length.—
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What starts as an innocent father/daughter college visit takes a shocking turn when Tony brutally strangles a Mob turncoat.—
Verb
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Administrative red tape stifles growth Beyond direct financial costs, small business owners are struggling with a sudden increase in bureaucratic red tape.—
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Over-regulation stifles American growth and aids China in this crucial race for global strength.—
Verb
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Stirring it with instant espresso powder noticeably decreases the effervescence, before the dense richness of the heavy cream all but buries it.—
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Clark rises, buries a deep, game-winning 3, and looks straight into the camera.—
Verb
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Physical bullying happens when a child hits, kicks, trips, pushes, chokes or otherwise hurts another child.—
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Left to die, breathless and alone, Invisigal chokes while Robert screams from the other end of the comms.—
Verb
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When enforcement actions sweep through a community, fear suppresses economic activity almost overnight.—
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Plus, the blue light our devices emit suppresses melatonin, the hormone connected to sleep regulation.—
Verb
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But even here, her sincerity overcomes her weakness for sentimental flourishes, including Amine Bouhafa’s treacly score.—
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The research team at Tokyo Polytechnic University has now demonstrated a simple and affordable VLC system that overcomes several of these obstacles.—
Verb
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Silence starves relevance; invisibility suffocates status.—
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But for this to work, these supercities must have freedom from the bureaucratic maze that suffocates current development.—
Verb
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Every wildfire that takes down a transmission line, every flood that swallows a road, every heatwave that makes a solar farm falter all slow the very systems meant to replace fossil fuels.—
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Taroko Gorge, however, carves breathtaking grandeur from marble stone; a natural cathedral of cliffs, where suspension bridges sway above rapids and swallows dart through narrow canyons.—
Cite this Entry
“Smothers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothers. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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