smite

[ smahyt ]

See synonyms for: smite smitten smote on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),smote or (Obsolete) smit; smit·ten or smit; smit·ing.

to strike or hit hard, with or as with the hand, a stick, or other weapon: She smote him on the back with her umbrella.
to deliver or deal (a blow, hit, etc.) by striking hard.

to strike down, injure, or slay: His sword had smitten thousands.
to afflict or attack with deadly or disastrous effect: smitten by polio.
to affect mentally or morally with a sudden pang: His conscience smote him.
to affect suddenly and strongly with a specified feeling: They were smitten with terror.
to impress favorably; charm; enamor: He was smitten by her charms.

verb (used without object),smote or (Obsolete) smit; smit·ten or smit; smit·ing.

to strike; deal a blow.

Idioms about smite

smite hip and thigh. hip¹ (def. 9).

Origin of smite

First recorded before 900; Middle English smiten, Old English smītan; cognate with German schmeissen “to throw,” Dutch smijten

Other words for smite

1	knock, cuff, buffet, slap

See synonyms for smite on Thesaurus.com

Other words from smite

smiter, noun

Words Nearby smite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use smite in a sentence

I was smitten with their work and wanted to share it because they offer a glimpse of a world beyond our own worries.
The Quietly Rebellious Art of Iranian Women and What We Can Learn From Them | Susanna Schrobsdorff | September 20, 2021 | Time
How many vulgar tones my doubtful earWould smite, with deep disgust inspiring me,With doubt tormented, holding hard my breath!
The Poems of Giacomo Leopardi | Giacomo Leopardi
It seemed every moment as if the prodigious paw of the grizzly would smite him to the earth, when no human power could save him.
Two Boys in Wyoming | Edward S. Ellis
Does not your heart smite you when you think of the country which gave you birth?'
A German Pompadour | Marie Hay
Then he assoiled them and blessed them, giving them for penance, to smite their best.
With Spurs of Gold | Frances Nimmo Greene

I coloured, partly with the praise and partly because I was wondering how many smite-and-spare-nots I was worth.
The Yeoman Adventurer | George W. Gough

British Dictionary definitions for smite

smite

/ (smaɪt) /

verbsmites, smiting, smote, smitten or smit (mainly tr) mainly archaic

to strike with a heavy blow or blows
to damage with or as if with blows

to afflict or affect severely: smitten with flu
to afflict in order to punish
(intr foll by on) to strike forcibly or abruptly: the sun smote down on him

Origin of smite

Old English smītan; related to Old High German smīzan to smear, Gothic bismeitan, Old Swedish smēta to daub

Derived forms of smite

smiter, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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