slather
Americanverb (used with object)
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to spread or apply thickly.
to slather butter on toast.
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to spread something thickly on (usually followed bywith ).
to slather toast with butter.
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to spend or use lavishly.
noun
idioms
noun
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informal (usually plural) a large quantity
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slang a situation in which there are no restrictions; free-for-all
verb
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to squander or waste
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to spread thickly or lavishly
Etymology
Origin of slather
1810–20, in sense “to slip, slide”; origin uncertain
Explanation
When you slather something, you apply or spread a lot of it. So you might slather your hamburger with ketchup, or slather shampoo on your damp head. Before it came to mean "spread liberally" in the nineteenth century, people in parts of England used slather to mean "slip or slide." Today we use this informal verb to describe smearing or rubbing, so we slather paint on a fence to cover up graffiti, slather aloe on our sunburnt skin, and slather peanut butter and jelly on bread.
Vocabulary lists containing slather
Mississippi Trial, 1955
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Piecing Me Together
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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
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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.
So I’d slather it on, put on the coat and then do a take.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025
When the chicken is done, slather it in Sanders BBQ Supply Co Sticky Icky Peach Wing Sauce and let it caramelize for a few minutes over the heat.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
"Not even a hefty slather of make-up can hide the shocking state of Amy Winehouse's skin," reads one.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2024
When applying sunscreen, make sure to slather your feet, said Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton, an assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2023
We shave our legs and pluck our eyebrows and slather our bodies with creams and lotions.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
