smoulder
verb (used without object)
have smouldered
-
present perfectof smoulder.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He says if the foam had been fire retardant it would have smouldered, not burned.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026
Without any general campaign, the quarrel between the Goths and the Empire seems to have smouldered on for three years longer.
From Theodoric the Goth Barbarian Champion of Civilisation by Thomas Hodgkin
In the pot-houses of Tralee, Castle Island, and Cahirciveen the embers of Fenianism have smouldered since the outbreak of 1867.
From Disturbed Ireland Being the Letters Written During the Winter of 1880-81. by Bernard H. Becker
The Christian faith was believed to be absolutely extirpated, and yet it seems to have smouldered unseen during the centuries.
From Historic Tales, Vol. 12 (of 15) The Romance of Reality by Charles Morris
In the days of Napoleon, when any moment might reveal the French fleet, the Sussex hill tops must often have smouldered under false alarms.
From Highways and Byways in Sussex by Frederick Landseer Maur Griggs
