smo
ther
Third Person
smothers
Present Participle
smothering
Past Tense
smothered
Past Participle
smothered
1
to cover someone or something completely
transitive
- The flowers were smothered by the heavy snow, hiding them from view.
- The garden was smothered by weeds, preventing the flowers from growing.
- The car was smothered by the dust storm, making it hard to see.
- She smothered the cake with frosting until it was completely covered.
- The child smothered the pillow with a blanket to create a fort.
Synonyms:
2
to stop someone or something from breathing by covering or blocking the air
transitive
- The mother gently placed a blanket over the sleeping baby, being careful not to smother him.
- Panic set in as the trapped hiker felt the smoke from the wildfire start to smother him.
- The assassin attempted to smother the victim with a pillow.
- The wrestler managed to smother his opponent, restricting their breathing.
- The kidnapper used a cloth to smother the victim, causing them to lose consciousness.
Synonyms:
3
to stop or prevent a feeling or action from being expressed or shown
transitive
- He tried to smother his anger, but it kept bubbling up.
- She smothered her excitement to avoid drawing attention.
- He smothered his laughter during the serious meeting.
- He tried to smother the urge to argue, knowing it wouldn’t help.
- He smothered the desire to scream and simply walked away.
4
to extinguish a fire by suffocating it, typically by covering it to cut off its oxygen supply
transitive
- He used a blanket to smother the small fire in the kitchen.
- The firefighters worked quickly to smother the flames before they spread.
- She tried to smother the candle's flame with her hands.
- It’s important to smother any embers to prevent rekindling.
- He grabbed a pot lid to smother the grease fire on the stove.
Synonyms:
5
to overwhelm or restrict someone so much that they feel suffocated or unable to act freely
transitive
- Her overprotective parents smother her with constant check-ins and restrictions, making her feel trapped.
- The intense workload at her job started to smother her, leaving her no time for herself.
- Friends can unintentionally smother each other with well-meaning advice that feels overbearing.
- She left the relationship because she felt smothered by her partner's jealousy and control.
- The small town’s gossip and expectations began to smother her dreams of moving to a big city.