as in suffocating
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1
as in strangling
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stifling
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 burying
to defeat by a large margin
the soccer team smothered their first few opponents in the championships, but lost narrowly in the final round
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smothering
CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Burton shared this adorable flick of Morgan smothering their firstborn in kisses.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
The Rockets are a physical team that also plays smothering defense.
—Broderick Turner
follow, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
That’s because the universe was full of relatively cool, light-smothering hydrogen, which scarcely emitted any light of its own.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026
The indictment charges Horner with strangling, smothering or asphyxiating Athena while in the course of kidnapping her.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
Bagging clippings prevents smothering from long grass and offers mulch or compost material.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2026
But UConn’s smothering defense forced five turnovers against the junior guard and limited the rest of her team to just 30 points.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
In the West, a smothering heat dome moved east after almost two weeks of record March temperatures; four spots in Arizona and California hit 112 degrees, and dozens of locations set heat records all the way to Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
Wallstedt polished off the first Stars' power play by snapping his glove around Mikko Rantanen's shot and smothering Esa Lindell's bad-angle attempt.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Burton shared this adorable flick of Morgan smothering their firstborn in kisses.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
The Rockets are a physical team that also plays smothering defense.
—Broderick Turner
follow, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
That’s because the universe was full of relatively cool, light-smothering hydrogen, which scarcely emitted any light of its own.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026
The indictment charges Horner with strangling, smothering or asphyxiating Athena while in the course of kidnapping her.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
Bagging clippings prevents smothering from long grass and offers mulch or compost material.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2026
But UConn’s smothering defense forced five turnovers against the junior guard and limited the rest of her team to just 30 points.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
In the West, a smothering heat dome moved east after almost two weeks of record March temperatures; four spots in Arizona and California hit 112 degrees, and dozens of locations set heat records all the way to Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothering
Adjective
-
Georgia will surely be ready and focused on its home floor following two consecutive losses, but Bucky Ball and its suffocating style from a fresh A&M team will be too much for the Bulldogs.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
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Justin Edmonds / Getty Images Darnold, Mike Macdonald and a suffocating defense have led the Seahawks to the big stage for the fourth time in franchise history.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Horner told a false story about hitting the little girl with his van and then strangling her in a panic, according to testimony of the case’s lead investigator, Texas Ranger Job Espinoza.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
-
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that the blockade was strangling Iran’s economy.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While some can be overbearingly hot, the hammam here is kept at the perfect temperature with just the right amount of steam, never stifling or claustrophobic.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Rudy Gobert followed his inspired Game 2 effort against Nikola Jokic by stifling the three-time MVP again on an ugly 7-for-26 shooting night, and the Timberwolves established a postseason franchise record by allowing the Nuggets just 11 points in the tone-setting first quarter.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Carlsson concluded an odd-man rush by burying a beautiful backhand.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The mower was burying itself under shrubs and smashing into 6-inch-tall+ (15-cm+) stone walls.—
Joe Salas
April 25,
New Atlas,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
An especially visually striking debut, Mosquitoes exists in a saturated hyperreality that is consummately engrossing, and announces the Bertani sisters as formidable portraitists of girlhood cast against the backdrop of an alternately beautiful and oppressive world.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Snakes, freeways, difficult men and Didion’s quiet brutality hang in the air like the oppressive heat of this unusually warm spring day.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Jurors then heard sounds of banging and choking — and Athena screaming and crying, the Star-Telegram reports.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
-
How about allegedly choking a live-in chef?—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The drug has already taught the field that powerfully suppressing this key cancer driver actually works.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
By suppressing appetite, the body can direct more energy toward the immune response.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Finally, in overcoming this vexing moment, the two would establish a painterly repartee that altered the trajectory of their own work and, by extension, modern art.—
Susan Tallman,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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But overcoming perceptions that lithium-ion battery technology is inherently dangerous has proven challenging, and developers sometimes fuel mistrust by dismissing residents’ concerns about fire, toxic threats and the industrialization of natural landscapes.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothering. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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