smotherverb [ T ]
uk/ˈsmʌð.ər/us/ˈsmʌð.ɚ/smother verb [ T ] (COVER)
to kill someone by covering their face so that they cannot breathe:
They threatened to smother the animals with plastic bags.
to kill something by covering it and preventing it from receiving the substances and conditions it needs for life:
Snow soon smothered the last of the blooms.
figurative I tried desperately to smother a sneeze (= I tried not to sneeze) during his speech.
to stop a fire from burning by covering it with something that prevents air from reaching it:
I threw a blanket over the stove to smother the flames.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Murder & attempted murder
- assassinate
- assassination
- attempt
- blow sb away
- blow sb's brains out idiom
- bump
- dispatch
- lynch
- lynch law
- manslaughter
- martyr
- martyred
- necklace
- poison
- shoot sb down
- slain
- slay
- slaying
- slew 1
- throttle
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Animal physiology: breathing & stopping breathing
Killing
Stopping fires
smother verb [ T ] (NOT DEVELOP)
to prevent something from developing or growing freely:
The latest violence has smothered any remaining hopes for an early peace agreement.
to give someone too much love and attention so that they do not feel independent or free:
I think she broke off their engagement because she felt smothered by him.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Preventing and impeding
- avert
- avoid
- avoidable
- bar
- be a drag on sb/sth idiom
- block sth out
- blot
- bottleneck
- derail
- fireproof
- hold out on sb
- hold sb/sth back
- hold/keep sb/sth at bay idiom
- holding pattern
- impede
- prevention
- prevention is better than cure idiom
- preventive
- prohibit
- pull
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Defending and protecting
Treating someone well
Phrasal verb(s)
smother sth in/with sth